Running for stroke awareness

My back is giving me fits, so it's unlikely I'll ever run the Boston Marathon. But these admirable folks ran as part of a stroke awareness team:

Running down a dream: Stories from the Boston Marathon:

Page Minihan and William Maley are just two of 26,895 runners participating in the 115th Boston Marathon on Monday. Yet their stories speak volumes.

Minihan, a 27-year-old Medford resident and Holliston High graduate, ran the race for Tedy’s Team, which was created by retired New England Patriots legend Tedy Bruschi. The former linebacker had a stroke in 2005, just 10 days after winning his third Super Bowl. Bruschi recovered fully and played another three seasons while forming Tedy's Team, a partnership with the American Stroke Association that works to raise stroke awareness.

“I was running for my father (Joe Minihan), who at the age of 29, suffered a couple major strokes” said Minihan, who finished the Marathon in four hours, six minutes, eight seconds. “I was four (at the time). The strokes left him completely paralyzed on the right side, but he has still led a phenomenal and positive life.

Team runs Boston Marathon for stroke awareness

Former NFL star is fighting a different battle now:

Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who retired prior to the 2009 season, is running in the name of raising money for stroke awareness. Bruschi had a stroke shortly after he played in the Pro Bowl in 2005 but still returned to play for New England the following season.

No guarantees in this world

In a project to keep dogging stroke myths: Here's a title of a recent article carries some needless baggage: Six ways to get on with stroke prevention and stay stroke-free.

It goes on to say:

[A]lthough stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, only a small percentage of Americans is able to name even a few of the diseases and unhealthy habits that can increase a person's risk of having a stroke. Here you will find six important tips that can help you improve your chances of never suffering a stroke.

While it is true that many people can, in fact, improve changes of never going through a stroke, the title or article might give you the impression that if you follow the rules, you might be "stroke-free."

The world doesn't work quite that easily. Ask me - was 39 years old, good physical condition, marathon finisher, low cholesterol, excellent blood pressure, normal weight, non-smoker, low alcohol intake, eating right, etc. Yet it happened anyway.

The problem an undetected heart defect - which you can't control with diet or other behavior.

So yes, follow this article's advice and follow the six important tips. But still, stay aware of stroke signs - it can still happen to you or a loved one, and you need to know what to do.

That is: Get some help immediately!

Running the daily race with perseverance

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

-Hebrews 12:1-3

"[L]et us run with perseverance" is good advice in all pursuits, but especially in pursuits of faith. But the writer of Hebrews didn't stop there - we need to have some goals and aims, too, so the writer added "the race marked out for us."

Photo below shows my recent finish, along with one of my daughters, of the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Marathon in Springfield, Mo. That was the race marked out that day. But one day - an actual race or not - is just a part of the entire races marked out for us all.

The "cloud of witnesses" the writer refers are all the historical figures who had come before, listed in Hebrews 11 as examples of lives that Christians should attempt to emulate, all designated as lives lived "by faith."

Stroke survivors, caregivers and loved ones often have difficult races marked out. Faith and the support of fellow believers can make a real difference. No surprise for those with faith, and for outside evidence, there's an American Heart Association article.

So, "by faith," are we running our races with perseverance, following the marks? And supporting those who are running the race of stroke recovery?

Straining toward the goal - no matter what

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 3:12-14

Many stroke survivors know what it's like to strain forward in recovery.

I had my own experience pressing toward a goal on Sunday, Nov. 2, finishing the Bass Pro Shops Conservation Marathon in Springfield, Mo. Didn't set a world record but did set a personal record of 4:40:38, which is better than 15 minutes faster than my last effort, pre-stroke in 1997.

Regardless of one's physical level, there's a goal we can strain for. The goal is winnable for all - as Paul's first sentence above talks about, it's not about being "perfect." But a perfect life with Christ is the ultimate prize.

Despite flaws, your body is a temple

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

From 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, this should be a welcome message for anyone - after all, no one is without flaws - but especially for stroke survivors. Many of them have some physical difficulties. After all, strokes cause more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease.

A 90-year-old fellow churchgoer, mentioned in a previous posting, walks with a cane, sometimes unsteadily, in the aftermath of a stroke a few years ago. But despite what's happened, God still considers your body as a temple.

It's beyond flaw, beyond flesh. My friend knows this - and so should you.

As I consider entering a marathon scheduled in November, this is a message to consider. By the same token, this is a message for anyone and everyone while considering any physical challenge, despite the level. For as your body is a temple, undertaking a challenge can be an act of worship.

Here's a video of a 2008 Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall, who, according to Runner's World magazine, believes he was chosen by God to run for God.