First Day

Okay, I have to be upfront, I don't know my bible as much as I should. So, when I thought, "hey, why not start off the blog/run thing with a little bit of Ecclesiastes. Well, did I have some thoughts to go through on the beginning of this journey to Portland.

The first chapter of Ecclesiastes basically begins with "It is useless...Life is useless, all useless." I have to admit, this definitely can be considered reads like a 'stop sign' for training for a marathon. I mean what's the point if it's all useless when for much of the time I'm going to be running in the rain of the Northwest. I know it's not going to be fun at times, but useless?!

But, I persisted in my reading. "The sun still rises, and it still goes down, going wearily back to where it must start all over again...The water returns to where the rivers began, and starts all over again."

And, then it hit me. I'm making a commitment; I've made a commitment to start over each day to run again. It's not like I can take the 3-mile run that I just did and take it to the total for a marathon. Tomorrow, I'll have another 3-mile run. And again in a few days. Over and over.

As I ran, another idea hit me like that branch that somehow came out of nowhere. This is just like marriage. Each day, I wake up to the same person and go through the day's activities together. Yea, for most days, it's the same routine--get kids fed and changed, get ready for preschool, go to work, make dinner, grade papers or prepare for the next day. However, unlike Ecclesiastes, I don't consider this situation "useless." I'm quite happy that as the sun rises, my wife is still there. And, when the sun goes down, she's there again. Each day begins and ends the same.

Sure Ecclesiastes' point that "no one remembers the what has happened in the past, and no one in days to come will remember what happens between now and then" is valid. However, it motivates me to appreciate the small things that happen each day. On this last run, I recall a light rain from an isolated cloud. The cool, crisp touch of a few droplets of water on my face. Then, today, I came home to the smell of vanilla, almond granola; a moment just standing at the doorway filling my nostrils with this calming scent. The little things that make a marriage wonderful; the unexpected gesture of fresh granola. These are the things that make life meaningful, not useless. Living day to day rather than dreaming of glory and grandeur. As Ecclesiastes eventually states, "...the best thing anyone can do is eat and drink and enjoy what he has worked for during the short life that God has given him." So, I guess I better appreciate my wife and enjoy that granola just like I would appreciate a rainbow who's lifetime is a mere glimpse of our lifetime.

Here's a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that relates:

Training Note: My coach (and wife) wants me to do two 3-mile runs and one 6-mile run each week until March. Then, the training will ramp up during the spring and summer to be ready for the marathon in the early fall.