My name is Joshua
Pauley. And I am at a turning point in my life.
For the past four years
I have ran collegiate cross country and track.
Through those four years I have grown immensely in many facets of my
life. My faith and relationship with the
Lord. Physically running to levels that
I had only dreamed of at the beginning of my running career. And possibly where I have been most blessed
is with the relationships that have been forged through my collegiate career.
My closest friends are
my brothers and sisters that run for Dallas Baptist University as well. I inadvertently met my fiancé because of
college athletics (which is a story for another day). And I also met possibly
the most influential person in my athletic career. He is my advisor, my mentor,
my coach, and my friend – Jacob Heath Phillips.
But I am preparing to
leave all of this behind (except for my fiancé of course…she is going to come
with me. But only because she brings the
snacks…ok just kidding…she’s good for other things too). I am hanging up my
fast shoes to start a new journey.
An old journey ends so
that a new one may begin. And this
journey for me will be one that focuses on testing my limits and skills in the
world of trail and ultra-marathons – all in hopes of eventually becoming
sponsored and then at some point I would like to be one of the best in the
United States (of course this is probably very far away lol).
I don’t expect all of
my colleagues in my collegiate circle will understand or agree with this
move. I am sacrificing my final spring
semester of eligibility for this. I am
getting involved in a realm of running that is a little taboo – for lack of a
better word.
Let’s just face it.
Ultra marathoners are strange people; and I mean this in the best way possible
– since I do hope to be referred to as one of these same people! But I believe the ball is in my court. And I believe that I have been
blessed/equipped with the right tools to be very successful at this.
Maybe the best thing I
have going for me is the fact that I am head over heels in love with running.
It is not about racing; in fact the only reason I race is because 1) It is an
outlet and 2) I am possibly the most competitive person you have ever met
(thanks dad). It is about getting out on a run for a couple of hours and just
soaking it all in. It is about a slight
breeze brushing against you and the sun warming your back. It is about happiness and joy.
Another big driving
force for me to enter this community is the fact that I am a follower of Jesus. He died for my sins – and there is not anyone
else who has done that for me! So I
figure the least I can do is use the gifts I have been given to glorify His
kingdom. I believe the ultramarthoning
community struggles greatly with an identity problem (also a topic for another
day) and is a community hurting for love. I do not want to come in and be that
Christian that throws the bible or my faith in your face. But I hope to come in and just show the
community that “Hey this is why I am running. He brings me joy and He is the
only one that can satisfy my needs.” When stating this my mind instantly goes
to Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose
for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But for me and my household, we
will serve the Lord.” What a bold statement to make.
Things are about to get
crazy for me. I graduate university in May. I am getting married two weeks
after that. But before either of those
life events can occur I have business to take care of. I have two big races in the spring – and that
means a good solid block of training. It
is going to get a little dirty. Probably
a bit nasty too. I’m going to make
mistakes. I’m going to learn. It’s going
to suck at times. But it will be fun.
I have a great support
team behind me. I am entering a
community filled with some of the nicest people I have ever met. I’ll be
fine. Turning points are ok. They are mysterious. They are the dark
hallway at your new house…you know what I mean.
You wake up in the middle of the night and have to go to the bathroom
but don’t know where the light switch is. So you just stumble around in the
darkness, knowing that after a few stubbed toes you will reach your
destination. That is where I am at.
This blog will be an access point for others to look into my life as I pursue a lifestyle that exemplifies Christ and chase my ultra marathoning dreams. And this is just the beginning. Thanks for reading. Next time I will be talking about my running background and my philosophies on training.
What a weirdo!!! Just kidding!!! Thanks for your hard work over four years!
ReplyDeleteBe bold in all that you do!
Coach