Kevin's Team In Training Page
Running to Save Lives
Dear Family & Friends,
Have you ever had one of those weeks where God was sending you a message but you made him send it a thousand times before you really listened to him? This was my week.
A few months ago I embarked on a goal to do something I have never done before, something way outside my comfort zone – participate in a marathon. This was not something I was prepared to tackle on my own, so I’ve joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training” - a program that offers to train runners in exchange for fund raising efforts to support blood-born cancer research.
Training has been going pretty well during our “base building phase”, but now we are starting to stretch things a bit and lengthen our training times and distances. It’s getting hard – hard to go the distance and hard to steal the time to commit to the training. I may look like I’m running, but I don’t go very fast – so it takes me longer to finish.
Last week I was starting to feel pretty sorry for myself – why am I doing this, this is too hard, I don’t have the time, my pace is not getting any better, moms pushing baby strollers are passing me by on the trails, etc. Then this week began and things started to come into focus.
In one of our training meets this week, I was plodding along, still on my way to the turn around point, as a group of runners passed me going the other way. One of the coaches was with them; he stopped, turned around and began running with me offering advice and encouragement. My pace improved and I wasn’t all that tired at the end of the session. It reminded me what we can do when we allow Jesus to come run along side us in life.
In our Saturday morning sessions, (7:00am) we start with a “Mission Moment” where our mentors or patient families share updates on patients that we are running in honor of. Yesterday we learned that one of our patient honorees, a young six year old boy named Steve, had relapsed in his treatment. Steve has been in treatment for close to a year and they were preparing for a bone marrow transplant – that is now on hold. There is no struggle in life that compares to what these children and their family’s go through every day – physically, emotionally and spiritually. We cannot take their pain and suffering, but we can help give them hope by sharing with them the hope we have in our Lord Jesus and helping to support research efforts to find a cure.
This past week our son Nathan graduated from Immanuel. The opening lesson at graduation was 1 Cor 9:24-25; Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. The first song was; The Runner by Twila Paris, The second lesson was; Heb 12:1-3, Let us throw off what hinders us…run with perseverance the race marked out for us. The class verse; Phil 3:13-14 Forget what is behind…Press on toward the goal. WOW!
Then last night Pastor’s sermon was based on Gal 6:9-10. “Let us not become weary in doing good….as we have the opportunity, let us do good for others.” I have carried that verse for years and it was my motivation for this run – but then hearing it again last night seemed to tie all the loose ends together. I get the message Lord.
I am training to participate in the Chicago Distance Classic, on August 12, my goal is to raise $2,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and I need your help to reach this goal! Yes, it is a very aggressive goal, but then so is the disease. An estimated 750,000 Americans currently have blood cancers, with almost 120,000 new cases expected this coming year. And, while survival rates have improved dramatically, blood cancers still cause more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.
If you are moved to make a donation to the cause, you are in the right place. Just click on the "Donate Now" button to the left - it is quick and easy. Please return periodically and follow along with my journey. I have learned some interesting things along the way and will be sharing them as I trudge along.
I am running in memory of my sister-in-law Carol. If you have lost someone to any type of cancer or know someone that is burdened by cancer, please let me know who they are - names will remain confidential, but we will keep them in our prayers and also honor them by carrying their names during training and the event.
Thank you so much for whatever support you are able to offer. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Gal 6:9-10
Kevin Smith
ksmith@ais.net
My top 10 - Things I've learned along the way.
1. Don't run at night in a neighborhood with low hanging tree branches.
2. The first few miles are the hardest.(For me anyway)
3. No matter what the grade - up hill is up hill, take shorter steps.
4. Wear good shoes & socks.
5. Slow down - you'll go further.
6. It is harder to ask for a donatation than it is to give one.
7. Lots of people care alot.
8. Kids can teach you alot about faith.
9. Stick your neck out - the rest of your body will follow.
10. Happiness is a choice.
