Tulsa Oklahoma Trail Marathon

Last night as came clumsily stumbling up the front desk check in at my usual hotel in Blytheville Arkansas, I could not help but notice the odd looks I received from the concierge.  I can understand why.  I was staggering out of the car wobbling like new born colt barley able to support my weight with ashy skin and clothes left from the dried mineral deposits left by profuse sweating and blood shot eyes from the fatigue of the day’s events.  I don’t blame them one bit for the inquisitive looks that they were giving.  I have stayed at this hotel many times before so by now they are used to any type of crazy antics that I may incur.  After the usual greetings they finally had questioned about my present state and condition of appearance.  I had informed them of this morning’s adventures of running a trail marathon in Tulsa Oklahoma.  The only one word response that was given was in the form of a question…..Why?  They already know about my pursuits to run a marathon in every state, but they have never seen what condition each of these events physically puts on a person’s body.  Why would you do that if it puts you in such great pain during and afterwards?  I really did not have an answer, until now.

Many people get into the sport of running.  Go to an organized race and you will instantly see any and every type of person at all sort of levels with many answers to the question of Why.  Some have started or are well into the journey of weight loss and general fitness.  I would have to agree that running is super beneficial when it comes to getting in shape and improving the cardiovascular system.  Some get into running for the competition, many runners did so in high school and college and love the challenge of putting themselves against other athletes to see how hard they can push it.  Some are running in memory of someone or because they themselves have survived a brush with death.  I had recently read about a guy who received a heart transplant from an 18 year old girl who died in a car crash and vowed to run 18 marathons in memory of her.  Some run because they enjoy the social atmosphere.   Who could blame some for this, with all of the positive reasons to run; it makes for a positive influence on you being around so many wonderful people.  While I certainly like all of these reasons and am sure that there are plenty more, I realized thinking back on the race in Tulsa that I do not run marathons for any of these reasons primarily (although they do help).  I run because of the pain it gives me.  This may sound weird but let me explain.

Many of us go through life with the same insipid schedule over and over leaving the next day just as you did the first until eventually the years pass with no memory distinction between one day or the other.  Yes, there are some days that stick out like when you got married or your child was born.  Other days stick out for not so positive reasons like getting your heart broken, a death in the family or the time you broke your wrist playing football.  In moments of either great joy or in times of misery and pain are the moments that we most remember, good or bad.  Look at another scenario, when you were a child and you were told not to do something then disobeyed.  Often disobedience was repaid with a spanking or some form of punishment, after that you never forgot about that lesson.  How many times did you touch the stove eye before realizing that it burns?  I realized this fact while climbing one of the toughest hills of the Tulsa Post Oak Trail marathon.  Climbing the hill around mile 20 I was in such great pain and agony and each step felt like torture.  Putting one foot in front of the other was such a task all by itself, finally after reaching the top, there was a picture perfect view of the city of Tulsa in the distance.  I noticed the wind blowing across the fields, the smell of the Midwest air, the birds gliding effortlessly on the breeze.  Every sight and sound became as clear as ever.  From this hill in Oklahoma I felt like I could see clear to the ocean.  I will never forget that view, not just because of how breath taking it was, but also thanks to seeing that as a brief moment of beauty in the midst of such terrible pain.  I have run 6 marathons so far and can remember moments like that at each and every one of them.  I can name all five boroughs of New York and describe each one with great clarity.  I remember all of the neighborhoods and what downtown Huntsville Alabama looks like.  All of the historical monuments of Washington D.C. are forever burned into my long term conscious memory.  I can still remember the taste of the orange slices given to me during the loop around island home during the Knoxville marathon.  I can still smell the aroma from the small pizza place at the bottom of the last hill in Wynne Arkansas.  That is why I want to run a marathon in every state.  We go on vacation so that we can take pictures and reminisce.  I run on these vacations so that the memory of them will forever be seared into my mind in such an intimate way that I shall never forget.

We run from pain so often in life.  I firmly believe that pain was given to us a gift from our Creator.  Time and time again in the Bible, God’s people would forsake Him and do as they saw right in their own eyes.  Time and time again their pursuits left them in slavery and oppression.  I think that GOD allowed them to experience that kind of pain so that they would remember what it was like to live without Him being at the center of their life.  I honestly believe also that those who follow Him will experience pain but the reason for that is so that they will rely more on His hand and trust Him more so that this will as well firmly stick to their memory of how He can be trusted no matter what.