Circle of Trust

This past weekend I finished the Chicago Marathon, all 26.2 miles. I ran with our F3 brothers Tonka and Poutine. It was an amazing experience!

I want to share with you all I had a big goal to run this race in 3 hours and 30 minutes which would beat my PR by 5 minutes from last year. This was my third marathon and this time, over 18 weeks of training, I trained extra hard man. I did more cross training, more Black Diamonds almost regularly every Mon, Wed, and Thu. I did more hill work and ran longer including two 20 milers vs just one in the past. I ran faster and ran with faster PAX. I ate better, had more protein and vitamin supplement intake, hydrated more, I even switched to a full, 100% plant-based diet for the last two months, completely cutting out meat or anything from an animal. I studied running more, I read more about running, I meditated, I did more stretching and I practiced more yoga.

To say I was more ready than every before is an understatement.

And then, on race day, I ran the worst race of my life. I came in at 4 hours and 23 minutes.

At about the 13 mile mark, my lower body just totally cramped up. My left quad, my right quad, then my hamstrings, left calf, right calf, etc. The muscles just stopped working, totally contracted.

I spent the next 13 miles basically stretching, limping, walking, and bouncing my way to the finish line. This city of Chicago was in celebration mode and that was awesome, my performance, not so much.

I’d be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed. I was. And I’ve been grappling with this emotional feeling over the last few days. But I want to share something with you all today…

There’s a chapter in the F3 Manual called “Contentment”. The sub title reads: “Stability of Emotion Engendered By The Continual Pursuit of Joy Rather Than Happiness”

These two paragraphs ring true to me and helped me reign in this emotional feeling:

“Joy is the fruit of a HIM’s enduring devotion to Getting Right and staying that way through the DRP. Joy requires nothing external to a person other than the Relational Rhythm that results from the strong, regular and repeated pattern of his interaction with himself, his Concentrica and the Creator. It withstands bad weather, physical ailments and financial downturns. Joy is the stainless steel of the soul, the stern stuff that resides in the stout heart of a HIM fully Committed to Leading his Group through every Obstacle that impedes its Movement. It is the foundation of his Contentment.

In contrast, Happiness is the warm comfort that derives from a toasty fire and a mug of hot cocoa on a cold night. It requires nothing of a man other than to be in the right place at the right time. Unlike Joy, Happiness is wholly dependent upon physical or emotional gratification and the conduct and emotions of other people. Whereas Joy is eternal, Happiness only lasts as long as the positive external circumstance is present. When the fire dies and the mug is empty, Happiness evaporates like the morning mist over a pond, leaving nothing behind but an empty yearning for its return.”

With happiness, we chase something we know will evaporate.

With joy, we pursue something that can last forever.

While running a faster marathon might have made me happier, I know that would only be temporary.

On the eve of my 40th birthday, it’s Joy that I wish to pursue for the next 40 years. Not the happiness of running a marathon in 3 hours and 30 minutes…I already know how that feels to evaporate…but the joy in my overall fitness, fellowship, and faith.

That’s the joy I will work to pursue.

Joy is the real marathon…joy lasts forever.

Thanks for coming out today gentlemen.

Prayers.