My Life-Long Running Partner

Once when I was at a Campus Crusade meeting, I heard a speaker make this statement:

"Keep your eyes fixed on God, looking straight ahead. Don't turn to the right and left, looking for someone to run with. Run your race at your pace. And, one day if you find that there is someone running beside you. And, you find that person is running your pace, and you find that he spurs you on, that he makes you run better. . . Then, lock arms with him and run with him."

Now that was not an exact quote, but that is what I took away from what he said. His point being, don't look for "the one," let God bring "the perfect one." Now, I am a runner - have been since high school, so this analogy truly spoke to me. Because I knew all about running partners - from personal experience. I am a distance runner, slow and steady, but enduring. I start and finish at about the same speed. And, I remember contemplating the speakers words late into the night after I heard them. I lay in bed that night thinking of my past running partners. Most of my running partners started off at a 6min/mile pace, but came to a screaching halt after a quarter mile. And, I had, also, run with those who ran so slow I thought it might be easier to just walk fast next to them. I had never really found anyone who ran my pace. And, not a lot of my college friends enjoyed a 5 mile run the way that I did.

I still remember the first time Erik and I ran together. We had been "friends" for about 6 months. Jen and I drove to New Orleans to see Erik graduate from medical school, and while we were there he talked me into going running with him. Erik is very athletic, so I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tiny bit nervous about running with him the first time. I was also a little concerned about the difference in our leg length. He is 6'7" and I am 5'7". That is a foot difference - and I thought that might just be a problem.

But, it wasn't. . .

And, as we ran side by side, the words of that Campus Crusade speaker came back to me. . .

Little did we know as we started our little jog that day, that really it was a life long journey we had begun. . .

Now, I'd be telling a fib if I told you that we ran exactly the same pace. We didn't. We still don't. I am the pace car, and he is the motivator. He starts out a little faster, I pace him, keep him from over-extending himself too early. Then, towards the end, I continue to keep the pace spurring him on to keep going. He motivates my pace to be a bit faster than it is when I run alone, making me a faster runner. And, what does that equal? A perfect running combination.

And, eight years ago today in front of family and friends we vowed to run this race together until death separates us. Over the last 8 years, we have run together on a beautiful journey. We have run past amazing scenery. We have run through trials. We have run through some of the best memories of our lives, but most importantly we have run with arms locked and eyes fixed not on eachother - but on the One Who Created us, loves us, and gave us to eachother.

Happy Anniversary, Baby, I love you!!