So its not Friday, but I have running related post anyway. If you have read this blog before or if you know me, you probably know that Traci and I are running a marathon next Sunday (oh dear, its getting close!) So last week was my last long run before the marathon (20 miles) and so from then until the marathon I am in the 'taper' part of my training, where I decrease mileage and 'maintain' fitness until the race.
So today was 'just' a 6 mile run. Did you catch the problem? 'Just' is a funny word, and I think it almost never ends in good planning or good things for us. Now before I get going, I have to say that I didn't have a 'good' run today, but it wasn't terrible either. So I am not trying to blow this out of proportion or anything, but I think it illustrates a point and the danger in 'just'.
So as I have been training for the past 3+ months I have gotten into a pretty good and pretty standard routine prior to my runs: good hydration, the right combination of nutrition, and other sorts of preparation. But as this was 'just' a 6 mile run I really didn't pay attention to any of that stuff today - or last night, which is when the hydration part starts.
Again - I din't have a terrible run today, but it certainly wasn't as easy as it should have or could have been. Because I didn't give it the attention it deserved and I was focused on other things.
I think this happens to us all the time in our lives as we try to grow in our faith. It is easy when things go bad or when we know that we are up against long odds to stop and pray: who hasn't said a prayer before a test - even or maybe especially if you haven't properly studied; and the saying that 'there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole' exists because in difficult situations it is obvious and natural to turn to God and ask for help.
Where were run into trouble is when we think we have everything under control, all by ourselves. We run into trouble when we think it is 'just' this little thing or 'just' that minor responsibility.
And the more we view something as 'no big deal' or say that it is 'just' whatever the more danger we are in of allowing temptation to get the better of us or of simply not being able to give our best effort to whatever it is that God has put in front of us.
And that is the real point - if we are living our lives for God, really trying to put God first in all that we do everyday then there is no such thing as 'just' whatever and there is no such thing as 'no big deal'.
Because everything that is done for in God's name and for God's glory is a big deal and everything you and I do, even the little the minor and the mundane has eternal significance if if it done for Jesus Christ. And we never know when God is going to use something we do or say (major, minor or barely remembered) to do something amazing for the kingdom of God and to invite others into relationship with him.
My run on Friday is 'just' 8 miles, but I am planning on taking it a little more seriously. What has God put before you that seems minor or insignificant, that God might be waiting to use if you would just see it as a little more seriously?
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Why today matters for tomorrow or why I fail
So, I am thinking that maybe I should just breakdown and make Friday officially 'thoughts gleaned from running day' here at the leaky pulpit. It seems that every Friday something has occurred to me while on my long run that I think is worthy of sharing.
As you may have guessed, today is no different. So we are really coming down to the wire in our marathon training as we are actually just 3 weeks (and 2 days) away from the Philadelphia Marathon. Woot Woot. Anyway, that means that today was my next to the last 'long run' before the marathon. It was 18 miles. Lets just say that is a long way, and it takes a long time. This time around I have actually kind of enjoyed the long runs in training and have had pretty good experiences, especially my last two long runs (14 & 16 miles). Today was a much different experience.
It actually started out as a pretty good run, almost great. For almost the first half of the run, about 8 or so miles I was feeling pretty good and running comfortably at a pace a good 15-20 seconds faster than my target marathon pace. And both of my knees were feeling pretty good (my left knee is just bad and on my 14 mile run I fell hard on my right knee and it is still a little gimpy)
By the actual halfway point, however, I was really struggling. Not struggling to run so much, but just feeling really drained of energy. Now to give a little background when you are running any significant distance (for me anything more than 8 miles) you have to have a plan for replenishing your energy. I use FRS chews - which are awesome, but only taste okay, and GU energy gel. You simply have to do this because of the amount of calories that you are expending. So today, I was actually really prepared and did a slightly more aggressive than I usually do. So that wasn't the issue.
As I was struggling through the last 10 miles or so of my run, I had a lot of time to think about why I was so drained of energy. I came up with a lot of options: First, I thought I might just be emotionally drained - it has been a tough week. While this might have played a part, I was really physically tired.
So, moving on, as I said it has been a rough week and part of what that has meant is that I didn't get any training in between last weeks long run and today. I had dropped the ball as far as my training goes this week and my body, even after a week was a little bit out of shape. So that definitely played a part.
Third, yesterday I simply was a terrible eater. I had wings (lovely delicious, fatty and greasy wings) for lunch, not exactly healthy or full of the kind of nutrients that translate into long term energy. Dinner was okay, but then I spent all night snacking on yummy cookie pieces that came in the mail yesterday (thanks Grandma Barb!). Sugar and fat, exactly what you want to be stuffing yourself with because those two things are always recommended for long term energy, right?
So what is the point of all of this? Sometimes we are called to things in life that require that we are prepared. Sometimes that preparation has to start more than 10 minutes before the event. In faith terms, God can always accomplish His will through us. But I really do believe that we 'leave plays on the field' when we aren't prepared. It is hard to know exactly what God wants us to do in a certain situation when the only time we ask for God's direction is at a difficult moment or in times of crisis. We need to be training our mind and our hearts to listen to and for the 'still, small voice' of God.
If we really want to see what great and amazing things God has planned for us then we need to make a habit of preparing to be used by God and being ready to be used by God. That means, among other things: regularly being in conversation with God through prayer; regularly be spending time in the Word of God, so that we might have an idea of how God has acted in the past, how God has interacted with his people, how God has demonstrated his will for those that are listening for it.
I could keep going on, but I think (and I certainly hope) that you get the point. If you are wondering why you don't have the spiritual energy to do God's will today or to live up to what God is calling you to, don't look to God - as if God has somehow failed you - look instead to how you have prepared yesterday and the week before, etc.
Have you been filling your heart and soul with good spiritual food [Spiritual meat, interaction with God and God's Word that requires time and regularity, not just spiritual milk that tastes good, but as you grow doesn't have the nutrition you need]? Or are you filling your heart and soul with Spiritual junk food and things that not only don't fill you up or give you the energy that you need, but ultimately they are harmful to you.
How have you been preparing?
Have a great weekend.
As you may have guessed, today is no different. So we are really coming down to the wire in our marathon training as we are actually just 3 weeks (and 2 days) away from the Philadelphia Marathon. Woot Woot. Anyway, that means that today was my next to the last 'long run' before the marathon. It was 18 miles. Lets just say that is a long way, and it takes a long time. This time around I have actually kind of enjoyed the long runs in training and have had pretty good experiences, especially my last two long runs (14 & 16 miles). Today was a much different experience.
It actually started out as a pretty good run, almost great. For almost the first half of the run, about 8 or so miles I was feeling pretty good and running comfortably at a pace a good 15-20 seconds faster than my target marathon pace. And both of my knees were feeling pretty good (my left knee is just bad and on my 14 mile run I fell hard on my right knee and it is still a little gimpy)
By the actual halfway point, however, I was really struggling. Not struggling to run so much, but just feeling really drained of energy. Now to give a little background when you are running any significant distance (for me anything more than 8 miles) you have to have a plan for replenishing your energy. I use FRS chews - which are awesome, but only taste okay, and GU energy gel. You simply have to do this because of the amount of calories that you are expending. So today, I was actually really prepared and did a slightly more aggressive than I usually do. So that wasn't the issue.
As I was struggling through the last 10 miles or so of my run, I had a lot of time to think about why I was so drained of energy. I came up with a lot of options: First, I thought I might just be emotionally drained - it has been a tough week. While this might have played a part, I was really physically tired.
So, moving on, as I said it has been a rough week and part of what that has meant is that I didn't get any training in between last weeks long run and today. I had dropped the ball as far as my training goes this week and my body, even after a week was a little bit out of shape. So that definitely played a part.
Third, yesterday I simply was a terrible eater. I had wings (lovely delicious, fatty and greasy wings) for lunch, not exactly healthy or full of the kind of nutrients that translate into long term energy. Dinner was okay, but then I spent all night snacking on yummy cookie pieces that came in the mail yesterday (thanks Grandma Barb!). Sugar and fat, exactly what you want to be stuffing yourself with because those two things are always recommended for long term energy, right?
So what is the point of all of this? Sometimes we are called to things in life that require that we are prepared. Sometimes that preparation has to start more than 10 minutes before the event. In faith terms, God can always accomplish His will through us. But I really do believe that we 'leave plays on the field' when we aren't prepared. It is hard to know exactly what God wants us to do in a certain situation when the only time we ask for God's direction is at a difficult moment or in times of crisis. We need to be training our mind and our hearts to listen to and for the 'still, small voice' of God.
If we really want to see what great and amazing things God has planned for us then we need to make a habit of preparing to be used by God and being ready to be used by God. That means, among other things: regularly being in conversation with God through prayer; regularly be spending time in the Word of God, so that we might have an idea of how God has acted in the past, how God has interacted with his people, how God has demonstrated his will for those that are listening for it.
I could keep going on, but I think (and I certainly hope) that you get the point. If you are wondering why you don't have the spiritual energy to do God's will today or to live up to what God is calling you to, don't look to God - as if God has somehow failed you - look instead to how you have prepared yesterday and the week before, etc.
Have you been filling your heart and soul with good spiritual food [Spiritual meat, interaction with God and God's Word that requires time and regularity, not just spiritual milk that tastes good, but as you grow doesn't have the nutrition you need]? Or are you filling your heart and soul with Spiritual junk food and things that not only don't fill you up or give you the energy that you need, but ultimately they are harmful to you.
How have you been preparing?
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Step by Step
Hi all. Late one today, sorry about that.
The lateness is mostly due to the 16 miles I ran today. I say that not to brag about it in any way, but just to make it clear that I had a lot of time on my hands to think today.
Running 16 miles - or really any distance over 2 or 3 miles - is really an interesting study in focus, determination and perseverance. As long as there is a base line of fitness distance running (if you aren't primarily concerned with time) isn't a matter of ability. Basically if you have the ability and fitness to run 3 miles you can run 5 and so on. Its why in marathon training the longest run prior to the marathon is typically 20 miles, and sometimes even 'only' 18.
So if running these distances aren't about 'ability' than it is about something else. It is, as I said above, about focus, determination and perseverance. And really it is simply about focus. What you focus on during a long run goes quite a way in determining if you are going to be successful or not.
If you are focused on your pace and finishing strong or even your running form - things that you can control that help you complete your goal - then you are likely to be successful. But over the course of 5 or 10 or 16 miles you are bound to have other things that push themselves into your thoughts and, if you let them, become your focus.
Today at about mile 9 my right knee began to hurt [this did not come as a surprise as I fell on my last long run and my knee is still pretty black and blue - you will never guess why I fell . . . I got distracted by some construction work being done on a house down the street from us, lost focus on where I was going and . . . boom, hit the pavement].
I was at a place where I could have turned around and been home in less than 2 miles. But that would have left me 5 miles short of my goal and 5 miles short of where I needed to be to be up to date on my training.
I had a choice, I could begin to focus on my knee and the pain there - which was not debilitating OR I could continue to focus on the goal and the things I could control.
But my real point in all of this is that it wasn't as simple as making one choice and being done with it. In a real, literal way with every step I took I was making a choice. And the choices I make when I am on a run make a big difference and go a long way to determining if the run is a success or not and more than that if it is a 'good run' or not.
The choices just don't make a difference in if I complete the task or fulfill the goal but also my experience of it all - what I get out of it.
But, of course, I am just talking about a run. But the thing is, I'm not just talking about a run. All of this is true and applicable to our lives of faith as well - Its why Paul often used the running and race analogy.
Every day we make one choice after another. A central part of each choice we are making is what are we focusing on. Are our choices reflecting a a focus on God and God's call and mission for our lives or are we allowing the other stuff (good and bad) to cloud our vision and get in the way of what we should be primarily focused on.
Every choice we make either puts us closer to where God is calling us to be and who God is calling us to be or further away from our intended design and our intended purpose.
Things 'just happen' all the time in our lives, but the truth of the matter is that almost always its really a question of where our focus is and what choices we are making.
Well, if nothing else, now you know what I think about on my long runs.
Have a great weekend.
The lateness is mostly due to the 16 miles I ran today. I say that not to brag about it in any way, but just to make it clear that I had a lot of time on my hands to think today.
Running 16 miles - or really any distance over 2 or 3 miles - is really an interesting study in focus, determination and perseverance. As long as there is a base line of fitness distance running (if you aren't primarily concerned with time) isn't a matter of ability. Basically if you have the ability and fitness to run 3 miles you can run 5 and so on. Its why in marathon training the longest run prior to the marathon is typically 20 miles, and sometimes even 'only' 18.
So if running these distances aren't about 'ability' than it is about something else. It is, as I said above, about focus, determination and perseverance. And really it is simply about focus. What you focus on during a long run goes quite a way in determining if you are going to be successful or not.
If you are focused on your pace and finishing strong or even your running form - things that you can control that help you complete your goal - then you are likely to be successful. But over the course of 5 or 10 or 16 miles you are bound to have other things that push themselves into your thoughts and, if you let them, become your focus.
Today at about mile 9 my right knee began to hurt [this did not come as a surprise as I fell on my last long run and my knee is still pretty black and blue - you will never guess why I fell . . . I got distracted by some construction work being done on a house down the street from us, lost focus on where I was going and . . . boom, hit the pavement].
I was at a place where I could have turned around and been home in less than 2 miles. But that would have left me 5 miles short of my goal and 5 miles short of where I needed to be to be up to date on my training.
I had a choice, I could begin to focus on my knee and the pain there - which was not debilitating OR I could continue to focus on the goal and the things I could control.
But my real point in all of this is that it wasn't as simple as making one choice and being done with it. In a real, literal way with every step I took I was making a choice. And the choices I make when I am on a run make a big difference and go a long way to determining if the run is a success or not and more than that if it is a 'good run' or not.
The choices just don't make a difference in if I complete the task or fulfill the goal but also my experience of it all - what I get out of it.
But, of course, I am just talking about a run. But the thing is, I'm not just talking about a run. All of this is true and applicable to our lives of faith as well - Its why Paul often used the running and race analogy.
Every day we make one choice after another. A central part of each choice we are making is what are we focusing on. Are our choices reflecting a a focus on God and God's call and mission for our lives or are we allowing the other stuff (good and bad) to cloud our vision and get in the way of what we should be primarily focused on.
Every choice we make either puts us closer to where God is calling us to be and who God is calling us to be or further away from our intended design and our intended purpose.
Things 'just happen' all the time in our lives, but the truth of the matter is that almost always its really a question of where our focus is and what choices we are making.
Well, if nothing else, now you know what I think about on my long runs.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thirsty? Join the club
No lectionary thoughts today, because I have something else important to share with all of you. Some of you may know that Traci and I are running the Philadelphia Marathon on November 21st.
We are running it as part of Team Living Water International. LVI is an organization that works to drill wells in (mostly) rural areas of the world without access to clean water.
In training for the marathon I ran 14 miles today. Let me tell you, that is a long way to run. The crazy thing is many people (most often women and children) have to travel farther than that each day to reach any water source and that water they get once there is often dirty and infested with disease.
Simply put clean water = life, without access to clean water nothing else matters.
I could go on (and on) about why this is important, but I thought I would simply share some facts from Living Water International's website
Pleas take a look at some of the facts and scroll down to the bottom to find out how together we can help provide a cup of cool water to thirsty children, families and others in need around the world
We are running it as part of Team Living Water International. LVI is an organization that works to drill wells in (mostly) rural areas of the world without access to clean water.
In training for the marathon I ran 14 miles today. Let me tell you, that is a long way to run. The crazy thing is many people (most often women and children) have to travel farther than that each day to reach any water source and that water they get once there is often dirty and infested with disease.
Simply put clean water = life, without access to clean water nothing else matters.
I could go on (and on) about why this is important, but I thought I would simply share some facts from Living Water International's website
Pleas take a look at some of the facts and scroll down to the bottom to find out how together we can help provide a cup of cool water to thirsty children, families and others in need around the world
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL KEY FACTS
• 884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world’s population. (WHO-UNICEF)
• 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to around 5000 deaths a day. (UNDP)
• LWI projects providing safe water and hygiene education at an average cost of twenty dollars per person, for a generation. (LWI)
• The simple act of washing hands with soap and clean water can reduce diarrheal diseases by over 40%. (UNICEF)
• Providing water and hygiene education reduces the number of deaths caused by diarrhoeal diseases by an average of 65%. (WHO)
• Water-related disease is the second biggest killer of children worldwide, after acute respiratory infections like tuberculosis. (UNDP)
• The weight of water that women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads is commonly 40 pounds, the same as the average airport luggage allowance. (UNDP)
• Water and sanitation infrastructure helps people take the first essential step out of the cycle of poverty and disease.
WATER-RELATED DISEASES
• At any given time, half the population of the developing world is suffering from one or more of the main diseases associated with inadequate provision of water and sanitation. (UNDP)
• At any one time, half of the developing world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-related diseases. (UN)
• Around 90% of incidences of water-related diseases are due to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene and is mostly concentrated on children in developing countries. (WHO)
• Intestinal worms infect about 10% of the population of the developing world. Intestinal parasitic infections can lead to malnutrition, anaemia and stunted growth. (WHO)
WATER USE
• The average North American uses 400 liters a day. European uses 200 liters. (UNDP)
• The average person in the developing world uses 10 liters of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking. (Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC))
• On current trends over the next 20 years humans will use 40% more water than they do now. (UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Agriculture accounts for over 80% of the world’s water consumption. (UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
EDUCATION AND ECONOMY
• 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases. (UNDP)
• 11% more girls attend school when sanitation is available. (DFID)
• 40 billion working hours are spent carrying water each year in Africa. (Cosgrove and Rijsberman 1998)
• Households in rural Africa spend an average of 26% of their time fetching water
If you are interested in making a difference in the water crisis there are many ways you can help. You can work directly with organizations like LVI (water.cc) or Charity Water (charitywater.org) or others.
We would like you to consider sponsoring Traci and I as we run in the Philadelphia Marathon. We have set a goal of $2,600 - which is $50 a mile for each of us.
To donate and/or for more information please check out our secure sponsor page:
Thanks for you time and consideration!
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