Story from a Shamrock Shuffle
March 12, 2024
I was unsure about going to the race. I had a full Saturday schedule, but I had signed up. This would be my third year running the Shamrock Shuffle 10K in Lawrence, Kansas. I had planned to write my blog about this race—so I obviously had to be there!
Rebecca encouraged me to go. She said she felt she was supposed to tell me to do it. Laura said: “Go Mom!!” I set my alarm and the next morning I woke up minutes before my alarm went off.
I arrived at a good time. There were plenty of parking places behind Johnny’s Tavern which is where the race began. I sat in my car which faced the homeless camp along the levee. I sat there wondering how these people manage. I saw some come out of their makeshift tents and chat with each other. A couple of dogs were barking.
In contrast, hundreds waited on the levee alongside the Kansas River for the start of the race. Those in the homeless camp were slowed by whatever things worked against them and were unable to make progress in their “race.” The contrast was sobering.
As I waited for the start, I pushed my timer that I use for my walk/run method. The timer was not functioning.
As we took off, I heard the beep of a timer. I realized the three ladies in front of me were using the walk/run method. I asked if I could join them.
I enjoyed passing the time by getting to know them. They set a good pace—45 seconds walk, run 30 seconds.
One new friend shared that she had done the Topeka “Race Against Suicide 5K.” I said I had too. We shared about the person for whom we ran. My heart went out to her. (I wrote a blog about that race: “A Story I Have to Tell,” September 12, 2023).
The course took us along the levee, past fields against a beautiful blue sky, then quaint neighborhoods. Though we had to slow our pace a few times, we finished with the time that I had set as my goal. I asked if I could get a picture with my new friends.
I learned I got first in my age group, ages 75-79. Not far behind me was an 80-year-old woman crossing the finish line.
The verses I meditated on before the race, while I sat in my car, helped remind me to have perseverance as I ran this race—and the race of life that is marked out for me. I am to deliberately fill my mind with thoughts of Jesus and how He considered the joy of His heavenly reward. He is now seated next to God—at His right hand. I am to consider Him and how He can empower me so that I don’t “grow weary and lose heart.”
Our race is something God directs and empowers. We are winners in His sight. We don’t have to compare ourselves to others. We go the pace He has set for us.
