Run and Not Grow Weary: Faith, Endurance, and the Race You Keep Putting Off

Last Tuesday it was raining cats and dogs. Tuesday is hill day in my training week, and my hill is Knox Mountain, so I headed over expecting to see at least a few of the regulars out there. There was nobody. Not a hiker, not a dog walker, not another runner. Just me, the climb, and rain coming down in sheets.

It didn't take long before I was soaked right through. My shoes were heavy, my legs were working hard, and a very reasonable voice in my head said, "Nobody's here. Nobody will ever know if you turn around and go home." I'm training for the Athens Classic Marathon on November 8, the original course from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium, and I'm doing it alongside a twelve-week fat-loss cut and a practice that still has to open every morning. Honestly, that voice had a pretty good case.

But I ran it anyway. I got soaked to the skin, I didn't see another soul the whole way, and I did it. Nobody cheered at the top. Nobody took a picture. And I've been thinking ever since that those might be some of the most important kilometres of my whole training year, because they were the ones that happened only between me and God.

If you've ever dreamed of running a destination marathon and felt that same voice talking you out of it before you've even started, this article is for you.

The Promise Hidden in Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31 is one of the most-loved verses in Scripture, and for good reason. The prophet tells us that the people who wait on the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will rise up like eagles, they will run without growing weary, and they will walk without fainting. In The Message, Eugene Peterson puts it in plain, everyday language, and I'm paraphrasing him here: those who wait on God find their strength refreshed, and they soar, they run without tiring, and they keep walking without falling behind.

Look closely at the order. Soar, then run, then walk. You might expect the list to build toward the most impressive thing, but it goes the other direction, from the spectacular to the ordinary. I think that's the point. Soaring is the mountaintop moment. Walking is Tuesday. It's the long, unglamorous middle where most of life, and almost all of marathon training, actually happens. God's promise isn't only for the finish-line photo. It's for the rainy Tuesday on an empty mountain when nobody is watching.

The word for "wait" in Hebrew carries the sense of hopeful expectation, of binding yourself to something and leaning your weight on it. It isn't passive. It isn't sitting on the couch hoping endurance shows up. It's putting one foot in front of the other while you trust that the strength will meet you on the way.

Why the Dream Race Stays in a Browser Tab

Here's what I see again and again, in patients, in coaching clients, and honestly, in myself for years. You've watched the course video. You've told two people about it. Maybe you've even priced flights. But you haven't picked a year.

That isn't laziness. A destination marathon looks like a fitness project, but it's really a calendar project. It's the hills, the travel, the body you actually have today, and the work and family commitments that don't pause while you collect long-run Sundays. So instead of choosing one date and building toward it, it's easy to keep adding races to a someday list.

This is where faith and planning meet. Waiting on the Lord is not the same as waiting forever. Isaiah's kind of waiting is active trust. It shows up, does the next faithful thing, and leaves the outcome in God's hands. Sometimes the most faithful step you can take is simply writing a date on the wall.

What Endurance Actually Looks Like: Five Practical Steps

You don't need to become a full-time athlete to run the race of your dreams. You need a plan that can survive real life. Here's how I'd start.

1. Choose the race for the course, not the feed

Social media makes every big race look like a victory lap. Real courses have personalities. Athens, for example, is famously hilly, with a long, steady climb through the middle of the race that runs for roughly twenty kilometres. It's historic and unforgettable, and it's almost certainly slower than the finish time you ran in your head. Pick a race you can genuinely respect on the day, then train for the course it actually is.

2. Build strength before you build miles

It's tempting to start by running more, but the winter work is what makes race season possible. A well-known 2014 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third, a far bigger effect than stretching alone. Hills, bodyweight strength, good sleep, and regular care for your joints and spine give your body the foundation it needs before the long runs get long.

3. Train the body you have, not the one you had at 28

If you're over forty, your body can still do remarkable things, but it asks for more respect. Pay attention to your weight, your joints, and your recovery. Decide what to keep, what to drop, and what not to hero. If you're carrying a current injury, that conversation belongs with your own health provider before you add training volume.

4. Set a decision date, not a vibe

Instead of waiting until you "feel ready," pick a specific date when you'll decide whether to register. By then you'll know whether your training base, your schedule, and your body are lining up. And if the answer is "not this cycle," that isn't failure. It's wisdom. You simply move the date and keep building.

5. Put the next block on your calendar this week

Don't try to overhaul your identity. Just take three small steps before Sunday. Write down the one race you'd truly love to run. Book your hill or strength sessions into your calendar for the next four weeks, the same way you'd book a meeting. Then write your decision date somewhere you'll see it every day. A calendar will carry you further than motivation ever will.

Join Me for Run the Original: A Free Live Webinar

I'd love to walk you through all of this in person. On Thursday, October 29, I'm hosting Run the Original, a free 45-minute live session for anyone who has dreamed of a destination marathon, Athens or any course that still gives you chills, and hasn't built the year to get there yet.

I'll be just ten days out from the start line in Athens when we meet, which means you won't be getting the highlight reel. You'll hear what this year has actually cost, what's worked, and what I'd do differently. Together we'll cover how to pick the right race, what a minimum viable training year looks like, how to train in a body that isn't 28, how to know when you're ready to register, and three things to do the week after the session.

It's education, not a sixteen-week plan you'll abandon in week six. It's a first map. There's no sales pitch built into the hour, and you don't need to have run a marathon before. If you have the race sitting in a browser tab, you belong in the room.

Save Your Free Spot for Run the Original

Thursday, October 29, 2026, 6:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM ET. 45 minutes, online.

Register free here. Can't make it live? Register anyway and the replay comes straight to your inbox.

Want more time on your own race? After you register, you'll have the option to upgrade to VIP and stay on after the session for a smaller-group live Q&A about your race and your schedule. It's completely optional, and the webinar itself stays free.

Questions? Call 778-215-9310 or visit www.drcaryyurkiw.com.

Run Your Race, One Hill at a Time

That rainy Tuesday on Knox Mountain didn't get any drier, and the hill didn't get any shorter. But I got up it anyway, with no one watching except the One who matters most. That's what endurance really is. It isn't the absence of weariness. It's strength that meets you in the middle of it.

So here's my blessing for you as you think about the race you've been putting off: may you wait on the Lord and find your strength renewed. May you soar on the good days, run on the hard ones, and keep walking on the ordinary Tuesdays in between. And may this be the year you stop dreaming about the start line and start building the road that gets you there.

I hope to see you on October 29. Register free here.

Dr. Cary Yurkiw, DC
Health Coach, 30+ years in practice, training for the Athens Classic Marathon

This article and the webinar are for education only and are not medical advice. They do not replace care from your own physician or health provider. No finish, time, or outcome is promised.