Lessons from Metro Dash

Last Saturday I competed in a fitness challenge called the Metro Dash. I competed with a team of 5 other people from my church. Our team was called Houston's First Most Fit. This all began a few months ago when my friend presented the opportunity to me as a way to train and stay fit. A day before this my daughter had asked me what my plans were for the month and I translated that into "so what are you working toward this month?" That left me speechless; I couldn't think of anything I was working toward at that moment. So, I prayed on my way to the gym the next day and told the Lord how I enjoyed exercise and wondered if He had any plans for me to use this passion to encourage someone in their journey toward fitness. That is when Donna entered the picture! She asked, "I was wondering if you would like to join our team and compete in Metro Dash?" Bingo! That sounded like the perfect goal to work toward and a great way to encourage others. Prayer answered.

So we started training really hard, following their scheduled daily workouts. It was crazy! Some days we would do 250 sit-ups, push-ups, squats, jumps and the list goes on. Well, having a bent toward being obsessive/compulsive combined with my workout partner who has the same tendencies, we needless to say, did over and above what the scheduled workouts required. We were determined to get fit and finish the challenge. We met with our team a few times before the event. I noted each time that I was the oldest person on the team. There were a couple in their twenties, a couple in their thirties, one forty and yes, me in her nifty fifties! With one month to go I developed shin splints, which were very painful. I took all the necessary measures to rehab my shins and rest - that meant no running. Each week I would tell myself that I should quit since I was the oldest and was now injured. My training partner, kept encouraging me saying she would walk with me and would see that we finished together. So, every time I mentioned that I thought maybe I should quit, she could quip back, "No Nanc, I will be there for you and we will finish together."

The day arrived with sore shins and an anxious heart as I set out to meet my team. When we met together, I looked around and saw how fit and young they each were. I told them I didn't think I would be able keep up with them and that it would be fine if they went on ahead of me. My young team mates just had to be one of the first teams at the starting line. We lined up and then circled together to pray. They asked me to pray, of course I had been praying constantly since I woke that morning. We started out running one mile and then did squats for four minutes followed by a short run to where we did push ups. After four minutes of push ups I got up to run to the obstacle course and the doubts began to swirl in my head. I was feeling light headed, my shins were throbbing, and my stomach was queasy. I began to say out loud, "I think I am going to have to quit. I don't want you all to wait on me. I am holding my team back." Donna would have nothing of that. My team mates were there at the obstacle course with words of encouragement. I went through the first four obstacles pretty well, then it was time to do box jumps. That is where you jump up onto a stool that is about 18 inches high. I was suppose to jump up on the stool 12 times. I looked at the stool and my mind couldn't convey to my legs that they were to jump off of the ground and land 18 inches higher than where they were securely planted. I couldn't convince my legs to move. Then one by one my team members came beside me with instructions and words of encouragement. I had to lay down twice with my legs in the air just to get passed the lightheadedness. But they stuck with me and with each jump I seemed to get stronger! I even went on to scale an eight foot wall. After that we had to run four more times with three more challenge points. My run became a walk and my jumps became more like standing on the balls of my feet with my hands in the air- never leaving the ground! My team members stuck with me, though. They said they were there for me and wouldn't leave me.

I finished in a little over 2 hours and a real sense of accomplishment flooded my heart. If it would of just been me, I would have quit. But, because I had a team of people who were committed to competing as a team, we all finished.

Some of the lessons that I have taken away from my participation in the Metro Dash are:

1. In order to pursue a passion you must be willing to take some risks.
2. Commitment hurts.
3. Age is just a state of mind.
4. No one is as strong as all of us. ( An Aggie saying, but one I experienced first hand.)
5. Competing for self makes one strong, but competing with a team makes us all stronger.
6. God made our bodies able to do more than our minds can conceive.
7. The battle is won or lost in the mind!
8. Those that hydrate for several days before the competition are able to finish well.
9. Those that hydrate each day with the Living Water are able to finish life well!
10. What is impossible with man, is possible with God- All things are possible with God.