I startled awake.
I panicked trying to figure out my location.
Oh, that’s right I switched beds again.
Why is it so dark and why is my alarm going off? (Appropriately set to More Time by Needtobreathe)
Oh, yeah: it’s 4:45am on Sunday morning and I am still in Manzini.
Rachel’s already up – how does she do that?!
Where was I just dreaming of? India?
That would make sense – we watched Slumdog Millionaire right before bed.
I can’t believe I’ll be there in a little over a month.
I remember coughing a little during the night, does my throat hurt? Hmm, no.
Do I have a headache? Not really.
My back’s a little tight but it actually feels better than the last couple of mornings.
Shoot.
Rachel’s now offering to fix me a cup of coffee…
I think I mumble a ‘sure’ to her. [With milk and a little sugar, please.]
I hear people in the hallway. Why are we doing this again?
Why am I doing this again?
How is Jon so hyper?
Oh, we get t-shirts. That might make this worth it.
Oh, the t-shirts say “Golden Foot Club 10KM Legacy Run/Walk… For the cause 2010” legit.
I don’t even mind that it’s 3 years old already.
I wonder where this actual shirt has been sitting for the last 3 years?
Wait, what is this cause anyway?
It does say run/walk maybe it is okay if I walk this thing.
God, do I even have to do this?
How badly would I be judged if I climbed back in bed? Everyone knows I don’t exactly work out.
Shouldn’t I have started with a 5k?
What if everyone else runs and I’m left alone?
Where do I even put my ipod?
What if I finish last because obviously Swazi’s are faster than anything I’ve ever seen and all my fellow-Americans seem pretty set on running this thing…
This was definitely the dialogue playing out in my head Sunday morning before I participated in my first ever race/run.
Kind of ironic that I’ve been going by the title of ‘racer’ since January 7th
Did I run the whole 10K? Nope, I walked some. My knees thank me. Did I surprise myself by running more than I intended? Most definitely. Did I finish with a smile on my face? You bet. Am I proud of my team for doing this thing together? Yes!
Peer pressure played it's part but really it was when I realized that my fear was that everyone else was going to run off and I'd be left alone to finish last that I really had to face the music. I could feel God saying, “Alison, is that really such a bad thing? You're never alone. I'm not asking you to finish the fastest but, to do your best, depend on and follow ME.”
Really it wasn't peer pressure that drug me to go over 6 miles at 6am on a Sunday morning in a beautiful, mountainous part of Swaziland – it was the realization that God wants me to do everything with and for Him and Him alone and that's a powerful thing and what this race is really all about.
2 Timothy 1:7
