Tuesday, January 3, 2017
One More Hill to Climb
Jared Ward runs marathons, and he's really good at it. He ran in the 2016 Rio Olympics representing the United States.
Jared is also my friend. He is an amazing man from whom I have learned so much.
Jared kindly sent me a copy of his master's thesis titled "Analyzing Split Times for Runners in the 2013 St. George Marathon." He warned me that it was "nerdy" and I admit that I did not understand most (if any) of the mathematical equations, but the part about pacing was still fascinating to me. He understands the science behind something he loves so much, and he implements what he knows.
In the Olympics, he came in 6th place, beating out several hundred world-class competitors. That is amazing! I really admire that he stuck with what he knew about his body and how it reacts at every mile. He paced himself and never gave up when he started to fall back from the lead pack. He just continued the race. Oh, wow! what a race it was for him. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
When he returned to our hometown, he was a hero, Every business had a Jared message on their marquee. The local grocery store had T-shirts that said, "Dream Big -- Your Friends Support You." (I can personally tell you a lot about the support of friends. Thanks to all of you.)
One morning as I was driving to yet another medical appointment, I was stopped at a red light notorious for being a long wait. Then I noticed that Jared, who was out for a run, was also stopped at the light. I rolled down the car window and yelled "Hi, Jared!" He came over and chatted with me for a minute. I will never forget what he said, "I have one more hill to climb and then it is down hill from there." For this amazingly gifted athlete, he just takes one hill at a time. I thought, "I can do that!"
Well, tomorrow is my last chemotherapy treatment, my "one more hill to climb." That is not what scares me though. It is the "what happens next." What happens when I am on the downhill and turn a corner and there is another hill to climb? What if it isn't just a hill, but a huge mountain?
If there is one thing I have learned from Jared, it is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, put God and your family first, and keep climbing. Jared, all the best to you, my friend. I count it a blessing to have you on my cancer-fighting team. You are an inspiration to me. --Elizabeth
P.S. One day I was walking up our street, and Jared's 4-year-old son comes running out of the house, like an Olympic marathon runner himself, and with hardly slowing down, ran right up to me and called out, "We're praying for you!" and without missing a step ran back into the house. I stood there smiling at his wonderful little self -- full of hope and faith. Well, your prayers worked. Thanks, Paul!
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