Be Strong

Being strong was always important to Leigh from the time when she was about 5 or 6 years old. She did pushups and situps with me at that age and could beat any boy in her class in arm wrestling up to about the 7th grade. She loved to project that strength – she was actually a bit of a show-off. But later in her life her goal was to help others find and project their strength. Everyone who was ever around her for awhile heard her say “You’re stronger than you think.”

If you knew her or have read the book, you know about her cross-country and track accomplishments at Appalachian State University.. She was close to her peak then as a runner, but actually became a little stronger after she graduated. She became one of the top runners in the south and well-known on the road race circuit. The picture below shows her at the start of the Summer Breeze 5K road race in Charlotte, one of the biggest races in the south. I believe this one was in 1993, which she won. She was well known as an elite runner at the time, so no one questioned her right to be up front at the start line (she is #1007). That race was very important to her (you see the determination on her face) as several former Atlantic Coast Conference runners were there, to include her old high school nemesis. Leigh never had great speed; she just used her strength and unusual aerobic capacity to set a pace that few could maintain.

I came across a poem today – I don’t think Leigh ever read or heard it, but it suits her to a tee.

“Be strong! We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;

We have hard work to do, and loads to lift:

Shun not the struggle – face it; tis God’s gift.

Be strong! Say not, “The days are evil. Who’s to blame?”

Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.

Be strong! It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong,

How hard the battle goes, the day how long;

Faint not – fight on! Tomorrow comes the song. ”

by Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Leigh always said, and she taught her runners, that you can abide the pain and discomfort of the effort if you focus on the joy and exuberation that will follow with the win or the outstanding performance. That can apply to just about any aspect of life.