YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION

YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION

April 27, 2009
Reflections on the Kentucky Derby Marathon

Yeah, Brendon and I finished together the Kentucky Derby ½ Marathon on April 25, 2009. Just he and I together and the faith in God with the encouragement of my fellow runners. It was an amazing celebration of months of training, hours of praying and courage to share my son with others. At first I was afraid, the race was crowded: “Would I clip the heals of my fellow runners?” “Would we be pulled off the course even though we had permission to run.” Would I make it on my own pushing Brendon 13.1 miles up hills, in the heat and through the pain?” Despite my fears, I had the courage to act. This is what courage is, the ability to act despite fear, to have faith, to trust that “all is well.” Courage is not an emotion but an action!

The experience was awesome. God gave me the ability to move forward despite the pain. The first 4 miles were hilly, and I mean really hilly. I felt like some cartoon character pushing a boulder up a steep hill with my nose. But despite the difficulty, I took time to take in the scenery. To enjoy the shade of the trees going through Iroquois Park, running through Steeplechase (being spurred on my the commentary of sports broadcasters calling the race), past the beautiful homes and even the recovery houses, the poorer sections of town. The crowds as well as the runners were diverse and I loved that. I enjoyed To appreciate the encouraging words of my fellow runners. They spurred Brendon and I on with words, I believe, were sent by God to help alleviate my fear of not being accepted on the course. Words such as, “What an amazing job you are doing.” “I can barely run this marathon myself, much less pushing a stroller.” “Keep going.” And from the crowd, looks of surprise from the children, smiles from the adults, and high fives whenever we could reach out. We heard things such as, “Look at that.” “Wow.” And “Keep it up, you’re doing a great job.”

Even more than the words of my fellow runners, I enjoyed Brendon. I engaged in conversation with him, listened to his humming and cheerleading, and calling out, “Passing on the right.” I appreciated his enjoyment of the experience: waving at the crowds, splashing water on him to cool him off (did I mention it was really hot), and we even got to run through a fire hydrant. When the last three miles threatened to do me in, I told myself the goal was to enjoy the experience and just to finish. I conserved energy for the big sprint at the end, always Brendon and my favorite part. At one point I had a certainty that I would finish but I wasn’t sure I would have enough to sprint strongly at the end. It was Brendon’s unselfish concern, “Mommy are you ok?” and “It’s ok if we don’t go fast at the end,” that moved me forward. And we end strong and fast, really fast. It was amazing! Thank you God again for the burst of energy , for the courage and for the gift of my strong legs.

Often having a child with a disability can be difficult but it is hours like this (we finished in 2:52:38, under 3 hours my goal.) that spur us on to the finish line, keep us moving forward, allow us to keep working to allow others to be inspired. It is my prayer that I can remember that God sends me inspiration and encouragement when I need it. He has allowed others to share their gifts with me and he has allowed me to share my gifts with others. I was gifted with the physical strength to run. Brendon was gifted with the spiritual gift to offer encouragement and compassion. And the runners shared their inspiration.








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