Ends of the Earth: It Takes Dedication

I've never fully understood what it means: "dedication." Sure I know it has a couple definitions; working hard to complete a task is one form of dedication. The harder the task, the more dedicated the person needs to be. Dedication also finds its place inside book covers, on concrete blocks, statues, buildings and I've even seen them on benches in the middle of nowhere. (But honestly, those benches were in Colorado. And everywhere is somewhere in that beautiful State.) These are inscribed to honor and show appreciation, love and depth of relationship.

But how do you inscribe someone's name on something that is not tangible? Running is not tangible. Marathon running is even less tangible. "Why would you even do that?" is a reaction us marathoners often get. "You pay money for that?!" Yes, we do pay money to run our bodies into a plundered state. We pay money for our minds to fall into mental fog and for people to see us as untouchably filthy babbling fools.

Marathons take dedication. It took dedication training several months. Waking up at 4:30am on summer mornings for a nice 20 mile run takes no small amount of dedication. And my wife feeding me upon return takes dedication for her too. Can she make enough? Yes... she did. She's dedicated.

But if that's all the dedication running a marathon takes, then it's a let down at the end. I've done it six times and, not to sound like a "Marvin," it can be a disappointing experience. But when the race is dedicated to someone else, when you are out there running for someone, it means something deeper.

Your body becomes the proverbial bench where people come and gather and notice the inscription. Your body is the statue, the inside book cover, and concrete block. Written on my running bib was "For Asa and my Grandmas." The run was a testimony to their lives. The run was for them. Not in a way that would benefit them but to benefit those who notice and recognize the inscription. They are dearly loved and inscribed in me forever.

Here are some pictures: