I finished the GMS Healthy Half 21.1K Run this past Sunday with a record time (for me) of 1:40:36.0. Now how did I do it? Well here is a list of things that contributed to my run:
1. I prayed before, during, and after the race.
2. I pumped some tunes such as "This Is Not A Test" and "Unstoppable" by tobyMac.
3. I had a meeting to be at for 9:55am sharp (the race began at 8:00am).
4. I ate a large breakfast of oatmeal and fruit at 6:00am.
5. I carried with me a 750mL water bottle full of sports beverage.
6. I had my Mom running behind me.
7. I kept a faster woman in my sight at all times.
8. I played two soccer games and worked the day before.
9. I slept 5 1/2 hours the night before.
10. I made sure that I could always run at least 5K in under 30min at any given moment.
11. I trained very inconsistently.
12. I did not stretch.
13. I chugged water the day before until my pee was clear (I was adequately hydrated).
14. I wore Saucony Kinvara 5 running shoes.
15. I ignored any pain and I never stopped running.
Some of the things in my list would not be recommended by myself or anyone else who knows how to prepare for a long run but I will say that the top three things were the most important factors as they provided me with the most motivation to keep running at a decent pace.
Now I am going to turn sharply and address a passage of Scripture that I found relatable to the subject of running:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
These verses contain examples of how we should live out our faith if we have chosen to follow Jesus. "We receive salvation as a free gift and then the Lord blesses us on top of that with temporal and eternal rewards for faithfully serving Him. What a God!" (Keith Krell) So with the prize of God's approval in our sights, we should train hard through the reading and studying of God's Word and then seek to live it out faithfully as we run the race of our lives. This takes intense and constant discipline and self-control but the prize of one day hearing Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," (Matthew 25:21) is worth every effort of ours to obtain.
Since I did not train very efficiently for the half marathon as my goal was not to obtain a specific prize, I hope that my life race is run well due to a faithful pattern of consistent and deliberate meditation on God's Word as well as much time spent in prayer. I recognize that it is ultimately for the glory of God that I run this race and, if I do well, all the credit is His. :) pressing on!
May we one day say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:7-8
1. I prayed before, during, and after the race.
2. I pumped some tunes such as "This Is Not A Test" and "Unstoppable" by tobyMac.
3. I had a meeting to be at for 9:55am sharp (the race began at 8:00am).
4. I ate a large breakfast of oatmeal and fruit at 6:00am.
5. I carried with me a 750mL water bottle full of sports beverage.
6. I had my Mom running behind me.
7. I kept a faster woman in my sight at all times.
8. I played two soccer games and worked the day before.
9. I slept 5 1/2 hours the night before.
10. I made sure that I could always run at least 5K in under 30min at any given moment.
11. I trained very inconsistently.
12. I did not stretch.
13. I chugged water the day before until my pee was clear (I was adequately hydrated).
14. I wore Saucony Kinvara 5 running shoes.
15. I ignored any pain and I never stopped running.
Some of the things in my list would not be recommended by myself or anyone else who knows how to prepare for a long run but I will say that the top three things were the most important factors as they provided me with the most motivation to keep running at a decent pace.
Now I am going to turn sharply and address a passage of Scripture that I found relatable to the subject of running:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."
These verses contain examples of how we should live out our faith if we have chosen to follow Jesus. "We receive salvation as a free gift and then the Lord blesses us on top of that with temporal and eternal rewards for faithfully serving Him. What a God!" (Keith Krell) So with the prize of God's approval in our sights, we should train hard through the reading and studying of God's Word and then seek to live it out faithfully as we run the race of our lives. This takes intense and constant discipline and self-control but the prize of one day hearing Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," (Matthew 25:21) is worth every effort of ours to obtain.
Since I did not train very efficiently for the half marathon as my goal was not to obtain a specific prize, I hope that my life race is run well due to a faithful pattern of consistent and deliberate meditation on God's Word as well as much time spent in prayer. I recognize that it is ultimately for the glory of God that I run this race and, if I do well, all the credit is His. :) pressing on!
May we one day say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:7-8
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