Conquering the Hills

When my daughter Meghann was in school, she was quite the athlete ... she had a natural athletic ability that served her well in several different sports, including basketball, softball, and track and field. But for as gifted as Meg was in her skill at those sports, she had a ... well ... she had a bit of a clumsy side as well. And that clumsiness led to more than an injury or two over the years ... so many, in fact, that I can't recall all of them, but I know I made more trips to the emergency room with Megs than both of my sons combined. There is one injury, however, that I'll never forget, nor will Meghann, nor will anyone who knew her when it happened. An injury so unusual that when the doctor at the ER told us, I laughed and said, "You've got to be kidding me!" Now allow me to say that normally, I was a compassionate and caring mother when my children were hurt, but that evening, I failed miserably in that department. You see, Megs had been running drills at track practice, got tangled with another gal somehow and fell backwards, bracing herself with her hands as she hit the floor of the gym. While placing her hands behind her to stop her fall did protect Meghann from smacking her head, wrists aren't made to withstand that amount of force ... yep, my sweet daughter broke both of her wrists at the same time and was placed in casts for nine weeks. Casts, I might add, that extended from her elbows to her knuckles with her thumbs immobilized ... bless her heart ... those were the longest nine weeks of her young teenaged life.

Yesterday morning, I got up at 4:45 so that I could meet up with Meghann, Barrett and his parents to cheer Megs on as she ran in her first 10k run ... a run in Kansas City called The Hospital Hill Run. It's a big deal in this city, folks ... there were 9,000 runners who participated yesterday, from 5 years old up to 80. I was completed fascinated as I stood waiting and watching at the side of the road with my son-in-law and his parents for the run to begin ... every person unique in their own way, from what they were wearing to how relaxed or pensive they appeared as the clock ticked down to signal the run was beginning to how they stretched and loosened their muscles as they waited. There were teams running together ... couples running together ... individuals running alone ... men ... women ... boys ... girls. As the first group finally got the go-ahead to begin running, I truly marveled at the slice of humanity before me. And when the batch of runners that my sweet daughter and her two friends were in began to run, a feeling of motherly pride welled from deep within my heart as I whispered to myself, "Please keep her safe, God."

Though I was certainly a jock when I was young, I was never a runner so therefore I don't really know much about times and distances, but I do know that Meghann was one tired girl when she finished yesterday ... tired, but pleased with her time and performance. But so much more important than those things was the sense of accomplishment that was etched on my daughter's face ... she had set a huge goal for herself, and yesterday morning, she achieved that goal. Part of the reason The Hospital Hill Run is such a big deal in Kansas City is because it's a difficult course with some significant hills to conquer, hence the name of the run. From what I gathered from listening to the folks yesterday, completing The Hospital Hill Run is sort of a badge of honor in the running community, especially if it's your first 10k.

Here's the thing ... Meghann totally conquered the hills of The Hospital Hill Run yesterday. She said they were incredibly difficult, and she's not sure she ever wants to do that particular run again ... but she did it ... she conquered the hills of one of the toughest runs in Kansas City. Next week, she begins training for her first marathon that she's running in October, and my guess is that her accomplishment yesterday will make her training seem easier ... conquering the hills will make her goal of running a marathon more reachable. Megs will know in her heart and mind that she can tackle any running obstacle along the road now because she made it up all those hills yesterday. There are some big lessons in the example my daughter has set for me ... lessons about determination and strength and training and practicing and bravery and not giving up no matter how tough the hills may be to climb. Big lessons indeed, my friends ... big lessons indeed.

Oh, and by the way, I conquered a big hill myself this morning ... I walked into a church I'd never attended before ... more on that in tomorrow evening's post. But for tonight ... maybe you've got your own hill to conquer, and if so, stay strong and don't give up. Like Meghann said yesterday, "It's worth it."