Finishing The Race.

It seemed like a good idea at first but by the time the 3 mile marker appeared I was wondering about the wisdom of it. I had entered the Moray Forest run through the beautiful Culbin Forest. In the end I made it over the line – second last, which put me in mind of the African athlete at the Mexico Olympics who finished the marathon an hour and a half after everyone else. His comment on being asked why he didn’t just stop when he was so far behind was very telling. He said, “I was not sent here to win but to finish the race.” I too was determined to finish the 5 miles. That was my goal.

In my case the car park was not quite empty when I arrived at the end! Culbin Forest is beautiful. There was pleasure and satisfaction in taking part but I would have enjoyed the run more had I done some training. Deciding off the cuff to run five miles is a bit crazy, risky, asking for agony. I could have been in better shape for it, prepared better.

Getting married is like running a long race. It is still the lifestyle choice of many and most young people when asked, aspire to it. (The “Wedding Business” is a huge industry) The great news is that the majority of marriages last a lifetime. But there is no question that relationships are under more and more pressure these days – work patterns, money issues etc. We can find ourselves in the middle of the race wondering what is going on, feeling pain, bewildered, wanting to opt out or alternatively doing just fine. I had never run five miles before; I had never been in the midst of the running fraternity before. It was all new to me. Marriage is an all-new experience, even for those who have lived together beforehand.

Marriage preparation is time well spent. You are preparing for a lifetime together. It makes complete sense to be as well prepared as you can so that you have some idea of the terrain, know what to expect, can give it your best and finish the race, having enjoyed the highs and run well together through the inevitable lows. One person I know told me that she still recalls what she learned on a preparation course 25 years ago.

Meticulous detail will be put into preparing for the big day. So, celebrate the Wedding. But prepare for the Marriage. Why not consider taking one of the courses offered through X plus Y so that you can run well together
For those who are already married - Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
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