“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot
“No one can possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.” – James A. Baldwin
The first weekend of October is the Twin Cities Marathon, a tradition. In 2004, the Twin Cities Marathon was my first marathon, so it’s very special to me. This weekend, I ran the 5k on Saturday and the 10 mile on Sunday. Over the past 10 years, I’ve probably done over 100 5k runs, no big deal. It’s become routine. But this weekend, it became new again.
At the 5k, there were thousands of runners of different ages, sizes and walks of life. For many, this was their first 5k. To them, it was a big deal. All of them with their own stories and daily challenges, simply running, achieving a goal. At the 10 mile and marathon events, the runners had the same excitement and enthusiasm as months of hard work paid off in each step moving them to the finish line, crossing over in the victory of finishing. And as we cheered for the them today, I remembered how important the spectators and my friends and family were to me when I ran my first marathon. They carried me and inspired me. And this weekend, I was inspired by those running all of the events – 5k, 10k, 10 mile and marathon – especially those running for the first time.
Run into each day with a “first time again” perpective and be inspired and renewed as the old becomes new again.
