Marathon Runners

I have a strong dislike for running, what don’t I like about it exactly?  I’m not sure, and I don’t settle into the rhythm until around 10 minutes.  The first 10 minutes, I’m talking myself into it, pushing myself not to stop.  I don’t like, that I dislike running.

I am not physically incapable of performing the task.  I’m healthy and in good shape. Mentally, I’m just like, “ugh!”  And where did I learn to associate “ugh” with running?

I feel like an athlete that started running with this blog at a steady pace, while running, someone put weights in my hands, I kept running, and then there were hurdles on the track.  The first step is a hard one, but to keep going is equally as hard, if not harder.

And slowly, but surely posts came later in the day, and last week I missed!  Feels like failure.  But failure is not the same as defeat.  No one likes failing, but perhaps we can learn to embrace it a little more, because it certainly has a lot to teach us.

My teacher, Diana Castle, says…

“Failure is a chance to strip away the unnecessary.”

If we look at failure more objectively like a project, maybe we can see what we need to change or let go of to succeed.

My admiration for marathon/long distance runners comes from their developed practiced ability, strong focused mentality and commitment to go at a consistent pace persistently for a long period of time.

Discipline

Come rain, sleet, or shine, injuries or not, they keep going.  And while running, they also know when, where, what, and how to get refreshed.

Life is a marathon, not a quick race, lets run well.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Champion Who initiates and perfects our faith…” – Hebrews 12:1-2a