Named after Jim Ryun

My father is a life-long runner. I think he began cross-country and track-and-field during high school, and it quickly became his big thing. Throughout college, he was running and attending cross-country meets. After he married my mom, he kept running. When I was born, he named me after one of his favorite runners, Jim Ryun (Ryun is my middle name), who was one of the first men to run a mile in less than 4 minutes--now, he's in Congress. Once a year, Dad would take my brother and me to a track, so he could time us in running the quarter-mile and compare year-by-year. He was a running coach for as long as I can remember, too. He helped start the Mon-Dak (stands for Montana-Dakota) races--which are still being held to this day. I remember eating leftover McDonalds chesseburgers, drinking orange soda out of the extra track meet giveaway mugs--for weeks afterwards.

Dad always wanted me to be a runner, like him. In 7th grade, he talked me into joining my school's cross-country team and offered a signing bonus of $5/week--double my allowance! It was a miserable experience, but one that I'm glad I submitted to now. Better than sitting in front of the television...which I did for probably 2-3 years of my 18 years growing up ( a rough estimate).

But even though I very rarely put on my jogging shorts and sprint around in this Arizona heat, I do know that I'm in a race...some days, I feel like I'm winning and just about to see a finish line. Other days, I let the pack pass me by, and I slow to a crawl, stopping to see the scenery around me. The trick is to know where you are at all times--to know the course, so that you can pace yourself and know when it's necessary to put on some extra speed.

You can't ignore the fact that you're in a race either--being timed and penalized if you travel outside the racing area. Hmmm...How far can I carry this analogy?

If you're reading this, I encourage to run the race God has placed you in with perseverance and faith, not allowing any sin to get in your way today--because your race will end, there will be an accounting, and lives hang in the balance.