GRACE FOR THE RACE EXPEDITION!

For the last 12 months, it has been on my "Vision Board" to participate in the "Run the Rock" event at Top of the Rock, in Ridgedale, Missouri.  Today that vision became a reality, and I got to hold the sign that announces I finished the race!  It is such a unique event, with so many unusual features (and I took SO MANY photos along the way) that I will devote an entire blog to it in the future.  But for now, the picture of me taken on September 7, 2024,  will suffice: 

The information that follows tells about the thought process and training that preceded today:

I saw this photo on social media, and was curious about what it represented, since the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops, is not far from where I live.  I had driven the Top of the Rock Cave Tour course before in a golf cart, when it first opened, and wrote about it, in a blog called "Lost Canyon Cave Expedition", dated August 30, 2014, which is available in the archives of this blog.  Knowing what it was like in a golf cart, made me aware that it was not going to be a "stroll in the park" kind of event!

Then, I saw where a  young Branson performer I have been following since she was just a kid, mentioned the Run the Rock event on her Instagram feed, back in September of 2023.  The very talented musician, Catherine Haygood, is pictured below with the numerous awards she has received at various fitness events.

When I googled "RUN THE ROCK", I learned that it is an annual event, held at the Top of the Rock property, in Ridgedale, Missouri.  (See the August 30, 2014 blog I wrote about it in the archives, entitled, "Lost Canyon Cave Expedition" )

I learned that the Run the Rock event is part of the fitness series sponsored by Bass Pro Shops ( www.fitness.basspro.com ), and they had a photo of previous events on the Internet (see screen shot below).

I knew I wanted to participate in the event, so I made myself a note to register for it, as soon as the registration opened, because in the past, it has filled up, and had to turn away applicants.  I also printed out a photo of the poster, colored it, and hung it beside my treadmill, to keep me motivated to persevere in the training!

From reading their website, I saw that the Bass Pro Fitness Series has had a positive impact in promoting healthy living, as shown by the statistics from 2023:

I sent a message to the person in charge of their fitness series, asking if they could send me a photo of one of the medals, so I could add it to my "Vision Board", being used to keep me motivated.  They sent the photos below:

The race description emphasizes that it is a very hilly course, so I added the training regime of a one mile (half of it uphill!) round trip walk, to my time on the treadmill.  

I also made some "stones of remembrance" to remind me to be diligent in training, with my goal in mind and ever before me!

Weight management is part of the discipline involved in my training, because excess body weight puts more strain on the knees.  Likewise, weight training is important, so I put photos of the weight lifting equipment in the collage below. 

I keep a calendar beside my training equipment, and record the days I discipline myself to complete the training.  In composing this collage of the various aspects of my training routine, to stay fit for the event I am planning on participating in, the images bring to mind one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize."  1Corinthians 9:25

This leads me to the most important aspect of my training for the "Race of Life", and that is my daily quiet time with God's Word.  The Bible helps me stay focused on that ETERNAL PRIZE, mentioned in the memory verse above.  The First Place 4 Health Bible study I am currently working on, is called Grace For The Race, and a photo of its cover is shown below:

Notice the graphics show a running course, with the lanes and starting line, marked in white.  The end point of the race is left to the viewer's imagination.  For me, that end point, is being embraced by the arms of Jesus in heaven.  Decades ago, I made the decision to accept the fact that Jesus died on the cross, to take the penalty for my sins.  When he arose from death, it also meant that death is not the end for me---rather, it is the beginning of my time in heaven, to be with my heavenly Father, and all those who have accepted the salvation offered by Jesus Christ.  Now THAT gives me "MILES OF SMILES'!