Did you know you are a marathon runner? Yep! You are running a long race, need I say a loooong race in home educating your children. I am not a runner in the physical sense, but I do like to walk and I have entered a few 5k run/walk races for different causes. My first was two years ago when I forced my teenage sons to go on the Matthew 25 Ministries 5k Run/Walk. My second 5k was a year ago when my sweet, wonderful neighbor asked me to go with her at the last minute because her husband had to drop out.There is one important detail that you need to know. She is 4’11” and I am 5’9” and her waist probably comes to my mid thigh. Well, we passed a ton of people and my dear friend did a fabulous job in keeping up with me and even suggested we sprint at the end! I think we completed the race in 44 minutes. Not too shabby for the two of us.

The next race I walked in was a few weeks ago and I guilted my wonderful hubby into coming because my son who was going to go with me had to work and I sure didn’t want to do it alone! The weather was cool and it was misting (Cincinnati has 50 definitions of various types of precipitation- misting, spitting, light showers, torrential downpours, etc.). We had just passed the 1.5 mile marker when it started sprinkling (see, another term). “Not too bad, we can do it, right?” That’s what Dale and I said to each other as we passed the people holding cups of water who looked so happy to see us and cheered us on. Well, the last .75 mile was very difficult as my shoe had started bruising my heel and it was raining (definition-drops of water coming down at a good pace) by this time. There were only a few things kept me going: 1. I wanted to beat my 5k’s time from last year 2. I didn’t want to quit because I am in a 5k walk for goodness’ sake! 3. I wanted the bragging rights to say I had done it.

As we came near the finish we had to climb a steep hill and I was really starting to wonder how much looooonger since my heel was really hurting by this time. Just as I was thinking that maybe I’d have to slow down and quit pumping my arms like a chicken, I heard two young men say, “Come on, you can do it! You’re almost there!” I went from thinking this is never going to end to standing up taller, stretching out my legs a little more, and picking up the pace because they were cheering us on. As we rounded the corner we could see the running track and we knew we were close to the finish. There were several people along the track saying, “Go!Go! Go!” and I knew I was going to make it. I even ran as fast as I could at the end because some other lady was right on my heels and I wasn’t going to let her beat me! Up until then I really didn’t think I was all that competitive. I am sure you wonder what my time was- a little over 40 minutes!  I am looking forward to competing, oh I mean walking, in the Hunger Walk that Cincinnati has on Memorial Day Weekend. It’s funny, but my neighbor hasn’t called me to see if I want to go with her again this year. I wonder why…..

I want to encourage you to keep on going, to keep on running, to not quit, to pass the baton on to your children. The finish line is almost in sight for this year, you can do it. “Go! Go Go!” I believe in you and want you to know you are a runner, a marathoner, and next year will be even better than this year!