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This stretch of road brings back a flood of memories……

I was always overweight, and out of shape in my adult years. Finally on thanksgiving day the year after my graduation from bible college, my father made a deal with me. If I lost weight and kept it off, he would pay for the new clothes. Of course that deal was only the initial motivation. He knew my losing weight would motivate me much more than the money ever could.

Soon I was losing tons of weight, and took the next step of starting an exercise program. Originally this was walking on my parents treadmill. Then I was part walking, part running. And finally running the whole time! My brother (who had gotten married) came to visit a little after that and challenged me to go for a run with him. I kept up pretty well, but he beat me in the end.

That made me angry…..

From that point on I committed myself to running outside almost every day (not on Sundays). I started with a little loop around the house, but soon graduated to the longer, and more difficult 3 1/2 mile run going up and down that road. It’s no joke to say hundreds of miles were logged on that little road over the years. Over time I became well known for it, with a man stopping me at Sams club one day and asking “aren’t you the guy who runs up and down our road?”

I ran it in December 2017 when I was home for a visit, okay I actually jogged it at a very slow pace! But the emotions and memories of all those morning or evening runs still came back to me.

That road and the memories connected with it are a testimony to the fact that if you put in the work, you will get results!

The Lord has not given me athletic ability (that’s okay because I have other gifts) so in my younger years I never felt I could be healthy at all. But Robinhood road taught me success isn’t about how gifted you are, it’s about how committed you are.