My dear wife, Jenny, has been a runner all her life. So, a little over a year age when I decided to try and become a runner there was a spark of competition between us.
Our first race was together was the Virginia Beach, Rock and Roll Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend. After a summer of training I gave it my all and accomplished my goal of finishing in under two hours. What I hadn't planned on was coming in three minutes slower than Jenny!
That simply motivated me to run harder and a month later, at the Army Ten-Miler, I was able to beat her by two minutes! Once again we are looking forward to Virginia Beach and the half marathon, but even though the event is still four months away the competition is heating up. Who runs the most miles in the week and who runs the faster pace?
Having trained all winter for the National Marathon I have the edge with most of my runs coming in under 8 minutes a mile. Jenny is only about 20 seconds a mile behind me at present, so I'm guessing I'll be second once again by the time Virginia Beach comes along!
When it comes time for VA Beach, we'll both be better runners, spurred on by the fun of competing. At the end of the day our goal is 
not really to beat each other but rather to run the race to the best of our ability and hopefully that means completion in a faster time than last year. It's great gift to be able to draw inspiration and motivation from another person, especially a close friend or spouse.
Of course there is a greater race we are running, the race of life. How much more do we need to friendly nudging and encouragement of a friend to successfully complete this race? We need people who inspire us, motivate us, push us to train even when we don't want to. People we can compete with, not just against.
Who are you running the journey of life with? Who helps you in your quest to live for Christ each and every day?
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