Keep running, it gets better!

I did four miles today and fought for every bit of it.  Last week I pushed myself really hard,  I had a couple days I thought I would just collapse from exhaustion.  Sometimes it is hard to find the balance of pushing yourself in training, putting a demand on your energy and endurance when you still have to function physically in your "real life".

What do you do when you've pushed yourself to run four miles and add on an extra mile to walk and cool down and then go home to remember your have people coming over and your house needs a total vacuum and tiled flooring needs mopped??   You do it and feel it for several days to come!   Life and training sometime overlap.

So with all that in my last week I decided to add a two day rest period with no cross training and pure nothingness to the point of laziness.   Sometimes I view resting just as hard as running.   I get so determined and so set on pushing myself I feel like the rest day is a waste and I'm losing opportunity to get to a new level.  I have to remind myself that when my body demands rest, I have to give it.  I have to tell myself that I am actually building and advancing while I'm resting.

"they that wait on the Lord will renew their strength...they shall mount up with wings as eagles...they shall run and not be weary....they shall walk and not faint..."

So here I was today back out there and wondering how my body was going to respond to it's vacation.  I had felt good when I woke up this morning and thought several times that was a great sign that perhaps my muscles were restored and better than ever.  I got my app all set to track my time, distance and pace and started with a short 5 minute walk.   At the end of 5 minutes I heard the app generated voice in my earbuds say "JOG" and I obeyed.  About 30 seconds in I was surprised at my body's response.  It yelled quite clearly, "you'll be lucky to make one mile, wah wah wah".   

For one mile I pushed myself.   My left knee was stiff, my right knee was clicking, the back of my calves were already tightening and even my left shoulder was aching.  I felt old and I felt pathetic when the 60+ year old man who started after me passed me at the one mile marker like I was standing still.  At that point my competitive nature gave my flesh a stern scolding.  I told my whining body we were going to two miles whether it was running, walking, crawling or summer-saucing to the mile marker.  (The latter two are probably the more painful if you think about it!) 

My mental focus was also very scattered.  I had been filling my mind with articles about Aspartame and Splenda toxins the last few days, identifying some of my thyroid symptoms that are linked to the overload of these products in my system.  With every weak whine from my body I was calculating the level of toxicity I probably have that was causing my low performance.  I had to shake that off and focus.   

Then something magical happened.  As I rounded the corner ending mile two marker starting mile three, the fact I had indeed survived two miles overshadowed all the cries of my whining body.  In fact, my body shut up - not down - but up.  The truth is the last two miles were easier than the first two.   My theory is that my body in the first mile is "cold" and not warmed up so it whines.  That's important to identify because if I listen to the whining and quit then I don't get to the good part of running and I stay discouraged.  A lot of people never really run or enjoy running because they never get to the "magical moment" where it's fun.

 By the time I get to mile three, I have corrected my posture and my footing so my calves, shins and knees aren't under pressure of the run.  My heart rate, breathing and cadence of my arms and gate are all in sych together.  My lungs have full capacity and have expanded to give me good oxygen to my whole body making all my limbs happy campers.  My mental state is soaring because of my oxygen supply. At that point I can choose to put my focus where I want, which for me in in my core and small arm movement and my gaze about 3 feet in front of me causing the time and distance to be less distracting.  Before I knew it I was finishing my four mile run and rehydrating in a cool down walk and stretch and really excited that I survived the process and learned from it.

Running requires endurance.  Running requires a joy that's before you that causes you to endure the aches, pains, sluggishness and discouragement of the moment just to get to that place that you know if going to be better and worth it.

The Word of God that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him.  I love Israel Houghton's song, "You've Won My Affection".   It says, "you went the distance and you finished strong, we were your passion, so you gave your all."  He knew it was gonna get better.  He knew after death was resurrection.

Running is a great application of those truths.  I find running a very very spiritually motivating process with many lessons that mimic our spiritual journey.  

1 Cor. 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Hebrews 12:1  Since we are surrounded by so many examples [of faith], we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.