Isn’t she worth your sweat?
It was on a Sunday morning in October that my life changed. I walked into my suburban church, sat in my comfortable chair and opened the bulletin to see a face of a child similar to the one above with the caption “Isn’t she worth your sweat?” What could I say but “YES!” Off I went to the meeting for Team World Vision. By the end of the week I had signed up to be on a team that would run “For the Kids”. Nashville’s Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon is in April. Running with Team World Vision is a commitment to train, run, and raise funds to bring fresh water to children in Africa. My goal: to raise $50 for each mile run: $650 minimum.
Changed my life. I am not a runner. At best over a decade ago, I had a love/hate relationship with the sport. And several years ago I tried again, but my knees would not allow me to run. But I am determined (some would say stubborn thanks to my German heritage) and I believed in the cause and in the training program set before me.
The task before me was and continues to be daunting. I am now mid-training (with no knee problems which feels like God smiling down on my every time I go out). The race is April 27. What lies before me this week, a 7 mile long run on Saturday, sort of makes my heart beat faster just thinking of it. And then I remember: I who am not a runner, have already run 9 miles this week. Running a long run of 7 miles this week, 8 next week, or 13.1 on April 27th is no more daunting than taking those first steps to run the first 2 minutes of the first week of training back in November.
My life has changed because as I push myself off the couch and out the door to run 3 days a week, or run a distance that would have freaked me out last fall, or charge a hill on a hard run day, I am very aware that I am doing all of this for something so much bigger than myself. Many “run” mornings I face “not feeling like it”. Whether it is an easy run (no such thing in my book), a hard run, or a long run, I could easily find a good excuse to put it off. “For the kids” has become my motivator and I see that little girl’s face cheering me on.
I want to change lives by supplying water. Will you join me in the race? You can cheer me on by supporting World Vision. Anything helps. No amount is too little, no amount is too large. I won’t let you down. I will finish the race. “For the Kids” will become “For the Kids AND For You”.
You can go to my page (Deborah Gall under fundraising menu) at http://www.teamworldvision.org or Click here to donate.
Deborah Gall 