My first half-marathon

Saturday's Ecuador Team Training. The lawn in front of the church. 16 of us with 16 pipes. And 5 marbles to transfer through the pipe to the little pink bowl 100 yards away. The goal? 100% team work. As the exercise progressed and we finally realized that we can bring the pink bowl to the marble instead of the other way around, the new question was "what does teamwork look like? does 100% teamwork mean 100% involvement?" In the end, just 4 members of the team were actually involved in the task while the rest of us cheered them on. Did we have 100% teamwork questioned one of the students.

Sunday morning. 7AM. Cleveland, OH. Probably 6,000 people running through the streets of Cleveland as we navigated a half or whole marathon. "Running is an individual sport" I was told in high school, "not a team event." but there they were. Hundreds of friends and family members lining the streets and turns of the routes, screaming encouragement, waving signs, and clanging their cowbells. "Run, [insert your name], Run" read one sign. And I promptly refocused and increased my pace. "Stay focused! You can do this!" screamed a random stranger in my direction. And I focused. and I ran. I don't know these people and they don't know me, but their encouragement and excitement kept my legs moving when I just wanted to walk. Our natural reaction as humans is to downplay the importance of those in a support position. "Why aren't you the one running?" would be the reaction. But it never is. As we finished the 12th mile, my friend commented, "If only these people were out every day, I could run more all the time!"

If only we, in the church, encouraged each other and cheered each other on every day, then we could accomplish more for him.