Run with Me

I remember running up the initial incline of Crowsfoot road. If you live in the KW area, you know what I”m talking about. Throughout the race every KM is spray painted on the pavement, and every single one I made just to stomp on. Felt kinda good you know? Another one under my FEET. Shortly after I made it to the top of Crowsfoot and it started levelling out I made it to about 12 KM and all I could see is a long stretch that looked never ending ahead of me. All of a sudden my music was interrupted with the sound of my phone ringing in my ears.

“Hello?”

It was my brother Andrew calling me to see how I was doing, to give me encouragement and tell me how proud he was of me. Just that 30 seconds of encouragement breathed life into me for another 10 KM.

Sometimes it’s like Phone a Friend on who wants to be a millionaire. But it’s up to us to PROACTIVELY make that call to that friend who might just need to hear a simple “Hello, how are you doing, I love you, You’ve got this, you’re awesome.”

There is power in the “phone a friend.”

So on I went until about exactly 23 KM, and the 22-26 KM stretch was the hardest for me. My phone rang again.

“Hello?”

At this point I could barely muster the breath to carry on a conversation, but it was my parents. And they were cheering me on even from thousands of miles away, right there in my ear.

My tank was filled up again to push through the second half of the race. Who might need their tank filled up by some words of encouragement or act of kindness around you today? What might take you 30 seconds could get them through “many KM’s” of life.

It was about 28 KM and things were starting to hurt at this point. I had broken away from the pack and had found myself on the road by myself. Well besides the random tumbleweed on the country roads. And all of a sudden I saw these two crazies waving at me from a car <3 … It was my future Mother and Father in law, Lisa and Mark. I instantly felt l wasn’t alone and a burst of energy came over me! But you won’t guess what happened next.

Mark got out of the car. (Lisa had to be the much needed get away driver :P)

How many times do we want to just “help people from the car.” But when we GET OUT OF THE CAR and actually start running alongside people in their journey’s that’s where we make real impact. Mark actually ran beside me, encouraged and coached me along for probably just short of a KM. It impacted my heart so profoundly I had more in the tank to keep going.

You know sometimes someone does something once and it’s amazing. But when they are a consistent source of encouragement, it’s like a fountain of water that refreshes constantly. Sometimes it’s easy for us to say, “Well I did it! I did what I was supposed to do. I was there for them. I was there for them like 10 times. That’s enough.”

Do it again.

40 KM in. Mark shows up again. “Ashley you only have 2KM left! You are so close, you can do it!” He runs with me for a little, and when he knows I”m SUPER close he says he’s gotta get back to the finish line to get the other’s ready for my arrival!

Just amazing.

After the race I was debriefing with Josh and he shared an incredible story with me that I’ve asked him if I could share here.

Josh had run the marathon, much faster than me. He pushed his way through, maximizing every step he could with efficiency and speed. He got to 40 KM and his hamstring seized. All of a sudden his strong stride turned into a limping jog. Josh wasn’t even sure he was going to be able to finish running feeling instantly dejected.

It’s the LAST 2 KM of the race. People have been training for their times for a long time, they’ve endured 40 KM of running and they’re close to the end, this is where they kick into high gear to get their best time, they’re putting themselves “first” in their efforts.

But a lady stopped, slowed down, and said to Josh, “You are finishing this race. Come on.” Pat him on the shoulder and made him start running with her again. Somehow the pain left. Josh picked his pace back up, and raced ahead of 3 more runners to the finish line.

Josh didn’t know who that woman was, but was almost brought to tears thinking of the sacrifice she made when she could have been gunning for the finish line herself, to make sure that he made it too.

Let’s not be so obsessed with reaching our own “finish line” goals in life that we miss the people also running with us along the way. Your small sacrifice can actually be the difference between someone finishing or not finishing at all.

Thank you to everyone who “Ran with me” and inspired me to "run with others” in life.

All my love,

Ashley XOXO