for 9 FEB 08: GO TAKE THAT MOUNTAIN
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this item humorous, serious, or a little of both - but we offer these thoughts from time to time, as we keep a seventh-day Sabbath.)
This past week of running had a couple of downright ordinary afternoons - as I struggled to make the one-mile mark non-stop. I wasn't sick, and the weather shouldn't have been that big a factor. Maybe I need to lay off the big boxes of soda crackers for awhile....
But last Saturday night's run was a very different story. A jog around downtown Columbus to the east edge of Phenix City led me to accomplish something I had never done in all my years here. I finally conquered one of the steepest slopes for walking and running in this area - one so steep that I haven't even seen skateboarders try it.
To park between the old MeadWestVaco building and the Phenix City Amphitheater, there's only one way in and out. The ramp to Dillingham Street at Brickyard Road has a very sharp angle - on the order of some hills in San Francisco. If it was a cheese, it might even be extra-sharp....
The "ramp to the Amp" is a lovely break for runners heading downhill, after going across the Dillingham Bridge. You catch your breath, and even use gravity to pick up a little speed. But running UP that ramp has been for me like "Heartbreak Hill" at the Boston Marathon or "Hospital Hill" in Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race -- only it's short and sudden, like running head-on into Michael Strahan.
For more than ten years, I tried and tried to climb that ramp at the end of a non-stop run on the Phenix City Riverwalk -- and time after time the ramp won. I was tired after about two-and-a-half miles, and the steep climb left me beaten and out of breath. You don't really need a hunk named Titan to play "American Gladiators."
(I was able to climb the ramp after running "re-starts" -- where I stopped to walk for a block somewhere along the way. But that's really not the same as doing it without a stop. It's a bit like the Georgia football team already saying it's undefeated in 2008.)
But in the last couple of months, my runs had been very strong and long - so last Saturday night the big moment came. The "urban running" course started at First Avenue downtown, went back and forth on the Columbus Riverwalk between 14 SUP>th and 18th Streets, then across the 14th Street Pedestrian Bridge to the Phenix City Riverwalk. No bloodshed there, so good....
The Phenix City Riverwalk allowed me to go downhill in two stages, from 14th to 12th Streets. That let me catch a bit of breath, and mentally prepare for the ramp. Thankfully, no one blocked my path to slow me down - and no stray dogs were roaming around, tempting me to turn back.
Then came the moment of truth. Using the balls of my feet, wearing two-week-new running shoes and keeping my head down to watch the sidewalk, I made it to the top of the ramp - after a non-stop run of about 3.1 miles! I slowed to a walk at the Dillingham Street sidewalk to rejoice in victory. So if you want to call me a wimp for not going non-stop all the way back to Columbus, go ahead....
I offer this success story for those of you who might be facing giant obstacles in your life. You might have a mountain of unpaid debt, a difficult job situation - or even an 18-0 football team, which might have hidden cameras spying on your practices.
My point is this: the largest hurdles in life ARE defeatable. I was reminded by a radio sermon Friday that it takes hope -- and the Bible says hope goes hand-in-hand with faith. The apostle Paul put it simply: "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength." The Lord has more strength than even an extra-strength headache medicine.
I came up with the title of today's entry within minutes of conquering that ramp in Phenix City -- but then I remembered something. My Dad died seven years ago this month, and my stepmother asked that a country song be played at his funeral: "Go Rest High on That Mountain." While I don't agree doctrinally with all of the lyrics, I think the rest at the end of this life will be sweeter if you know you've had help conquering mountains along the way.
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