<\/p>\n
I still remember the moment. I had invested six months, hundreds of dollars, and countless training hours leading up to my attempt to run across Tennessee in a 314-run (500K) called Vol State in the heat of July 2016. The first day had been difficult, yet I had managed fourth place and 98 miles by the end of the first 24 hours.<\/p>\n
After a short break, I began again, mostly walking at this point. My blistered feet had remained wet so long that the skin began coming off. I had experienced this in a previous race, but only toward the end when I was almost finished. In this event, I still had 200 miles to complete.<\/p>\n
By midday, the top layer of skin on my left foot had already come off, reducing me to a limp. Determined to press on, I continued, only to soon have the “meat” of my foot split open and bleed across the middle of a Tennessee highway.<\/p>\n
Still refusing to quit, my crew taped me up and sent me back out. But by this time I was only dragging my left foot. If there had been only a few miles left, I would have stuck it out. But 200 miles of limping? I did the math and decided the time it would take was more than I had to spare.<\/p>\n
I made the call and pulled out of the race.<\/p>\n
It was the first time I had ever failed at a race. For three days I could not walk.<\/p>\n
Yet the end was not the end.<\/p>\n
When all hope seemed lost, a new plan began to form. What would it take to make a comeback?<\/p>\n
I began walking, then running a week later. I experimented with different shoes, sandals, and even began running barefoot. By September I attempted my first barefoot ultrarun, completing 50 miles without shoes.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this attempt left me with a stress fracture that required not running for about 12 weeks. By January I was running again–first only two miles, then five, then 12. On April 1, 2017, April Fool’s Day, I ran a 24-hour race again, completing 100 miles in 22 hours and 33 minutes.<\/p>\n
In August, I took one more shot at the 24-hour format, reaching 100 miles in 22 hours and 23 minutes, taking second place in a much smaller race in Kentucky.<\/p>\n
After this race, I felt I had nothing left to prove. I had overcome my past failure, now having completed 250 miles of racing miles and even placing in an ultra race.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to now and I’ve recently returned from a long break from running. I’m not sure where it will end, but know that my failure was not final. I am enjoying the miles and the moments of experiencing God along the running journey.<\/p>\n
Had I given up after my failed run, I would have missed out on so much. The same is true in other areas of life.<\/p>\n
When everything seems to fall apart, it’s tough to try again. As a Haitian proverb says, “Behind the mountains are more mountains.” Struggle can cause us to give up rather than to keep going.<\/p>\n
On my desk are a few quotes God has used in my life during this time of learning endurance. One of them is this:<\/p>\n
“Your purpose <\/em>is greater than your pain<\/em>.”<\/p>\n If you know what you are doing is of greater value than your current pain, keep going. Jesus endured the pain of the cross, knowing there would be a resurrection. Don’t let today’s pain keep you from tomorrow’s joys. Keep moving forward, one step at a time.<\/p>\n +++<\/p>\n Dr. Dillon Burroughs<\/strong> is one of America\u2019s top communicators on today\u2019s Christian issues. He serves as senior writer of The John Ankerberg Show <\/em>and is author or coauthor of nearly 40 books. You can follow him on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. He lives with his wife and three children in Tennessee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I still remember the moment. I had invested six months, hundreds of dollars, and countless training hours leading up to my attempt to run across Tennessee in a 314-run (500K) called Vol State in the heat of July 2016. The first day had been difficult, yet I had managed fourth place and 98 miles by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,13],"tags":[360,361,362],"class_list":["post-3092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-faith","tag-motivation","tag-running","tag-ultrarunning"],"yoast_head":"\n