Silo District Marathon — alexis ascends

Coming through Drippin’…and limpin'

I remember hearing a Steven Furtick sermon once titled, “Coming through Drippin’”. I wasn’t cool enough to know what the urban dictionary term “drippin’” meant, so I’m glad Furtick broke it down as meaning an immense amount of swag. He was referring to the Israelites coming out of Egypt with the silver and gold that previously belonged to the Egyptians that had held them captive. The reason I titled my blog, “Coming through Drippin’…and limpin'“ has everything to do with completing my first half marathon at the Second Annual Silo District Marathon this weekend in Waco, Texas. I came through that finish line drippin’ alright…sweat, tears, a swanky medal, and an incredible sense of accomplishment for achieving something I didn’t think I could do. I also came into that finish line with blisters that I had acquired at about mile number three…yeah, there was a lot of mind over matter going on in my head. That’s where the limping part comes in. Two days after the race and I was still limping. Now, before you accomplished runners yell at me about my shoes, socks or anything else, I had only started getting blisters towards the last two weeks of my training. The friction was too real and praise God, I didn’t have any major blisters going into the race. But my God, three miles in and I started getting nervous. I could feel them forming and I felt it all the more whenever we went uphill or downhill or around many of Waco’s slanted roads…There were a lot of those. The views throughout the race were gems of Waco I had not seen before and they did a good job distracting my focus from my feet to what was right in front of me. I ran next to people who had their own struggles in their race, literally and figuratively. People were running for kids with cancer, loved ones who had died of cancer, and other reasons that had planted a purpose in their hearts to finish this race. Me, I just like to see victory come from my struggle. I like to go after impossible things. Plus, running in Chip and Jo’s half-marathon was a way for me to show support to them for all they had done for me when I dreamed of summiting Kilimanjaro. (You can read my Chipstarter story here.) Running for 13.1 miles gives you a lot of time to think and reflect. I remembered the many times God had carried me through the finish line of my dreams, even when at times, it felt like He was dragging me.

One of the most powerful moments of the race was towards the end. There was about a mile left and I was working up every ounce of strength in me to not just finish but to finish strong. The day before, at race check-in, there were giant block letters that spelled, “You Got This” and us runners were asked to write our purpose for running on a sticker and post it on the letters. They ended up placing the “You Got This” letters with all of our stickers on the course and to see it on the side of the road, as we struggled through that last mile, was a powerful reminder: we are not running aimlessly. We all have a reason to live and to live passionately. We are called to run our race with grit and grace and so as funny as I looked, I kept running that last mile. The finish line appeared, but let me tell you, it was farther than it looked. That was one long home stretch. You could hear the people cheering louder as you reached closer, but somehow, the closer you were, the farther you felt. My legs were heavy like lead and I couldn’t feel my feet at this point. I could only feel the blisters with every shock of the pavement. My hands were sticky with gatorade and energy chews I had guzzled down during the race. “Focus, focus, focus” was all I kept telling myself. I remembered yet another Steven Furtick sermon snippet that had come up on my shuffled apple music playlist during mile 5. It was a 3 minute track about how in Genesis 35, Jacob returned to Bethel 21 years after God had promised to give him the land he was sleeping on (Genesis 28). I love how at that time, 21 years earlier, Jacob had said, “Surely, the Lord was in this place and I did not even know it!” Time had passed. He was limping now. He had wrestled with God, saw many blessings, and experienced much pain. And now Jacob realizes that God was not just with Him in Bethel; He was with him wherever he had gone. He says, “We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” (Genesis 35:3) The point being made is that Bethel is a place of remembrance and revelation. God brought me back to Texas, a place where he taught me to bloom in seasons of harvest and in seasons of famine. He reminded me of all His past faithfulness in my season there and beyond. And He further opened my eyes to the simple fact that He has never left me even though my path has turned and curved in ways I wouldn’t have chosen. The Lord is with me in every place, in every season and He is using every blister, every sore, every limp, every scenic view, and every cheerleader to get me to the ultimate finish line- that exhilarating finish in and with God. (Hebrews 12:3) It’s okay to limp a little, like Jacob did. Just as long as you keep moving forward, remembering and relishing in every promise God has fulfilled and will fulfill. The Lord is with you in every part of the race. God doesn’t just show up at the finish line. He shows up along the way.

Hope you enjoy these photos of me and my family’s adventure to Waco! We love you, Magnolia!

Saturday morning was spent picking up our registration packets and exploring the Silos and streets of Waco. Waco is not a big city…at all, but if you look, you’ll find magic on every corner.

Satisfy your taste buds at Magnolia with a few of my favorites…

Silos Baking Co. Silobration Cupcake- vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream icing
Cheddar Box’s “The Boss” Grilled Cheese- bacon, gouda, and basil on sourdough
The Alabama Sweet Tea Company’s - Mason/Dixon Sweet Tea (half sweet, half unsweet)

After crashing at 9 PM, we arose bright and early to make it to Magnolia Table before the lines got too crazy. I was secretly praying they’d sit us in front of their sign that reads, “Where everyone has a seat at the table” andddd they totally did without us asking for it. It’s their community table which means you’ll be sharing it with strangers. To our surprise, the second family that ate next to us were 2018 Chipstarter winners and we met and bonded over the incredible experience and how blessed we were by the Chip and Jo’s vibrant authenticity and humility.

Everything was delicious, including the Magnolia tator tots, (which were out of this world). Not to mention, Magnolia Table is picture-perfect in every corner. See below.

Before heading back to Dallas, we checked out The Findery , a block away from Magnolia. I learned I have a fascination with charcuterie boards and wall decor for a house I don’t have yet.

Also, last but not least, I want to give a big shoutout to a couple of my gals at Magnolia! This staff is top notch, a reflection of Chip and Jo. I am glad we can stay in touch from Chipstarter to now and continue to see many more Magnolia Miracles unfold. XO