I am not a runner, I have friends who are. I used to run up and down a basketball court and for a while I ran bleachers to keep in shape. Now a local orthopedic doctor tells me that that is no longer a good idea. I am supposed to keep to walking and build back up to running. I guess the knees just are not what they used to be.
When I did compete in Jr. High Track and Field (31 years ago) we wore light-weight clothes in competition. M friends who run 5k, 10k, and marathon events, while being complete nutters for doing so on my opinion, wear light-weight clothes and shoes to help them be competitive and to help them complete these long distances.
The Hebrew writer uses a similar analogy, no he uses the same analogy, as he discusses the Christian life. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us ,” (Heb 12:1 – The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). His point is two-fold: the weight of sin 1) holds us back and 2) can stop us from completing the race. On my desk I have the following note, “We will never grow closer to God than the sin that comes between us.”
What separates you from God? What weighs you down? Set it aside and look to Jesus and to what is eternal. Let go of the pull of the world and it’s desires.
– Scott
Driving Thought 
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Scott – Love the post – (little behind in my Google Reader). I’d love to have a copy of that little prayer that is under the Bible in your picture!
I will look for the poem, I cleaned my desk the other day, I think it is still there.
Here is a version I put on the blog – https://scottmccown.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/a-personal-prayer/ The original title was “Growing Old Gracefully”. I do not know the original author.