Strip down, start running...and never quit!


I've made a commitment to participate in a 1/2 marathon on March 27th, 2011. To be precise, the event is the Rock 'n'Roll Dallas 1/2 Marathon, and we are raising money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation.

You might have noticed that I've made a commitment to participate, rather than to run, and there is a reason for the distinction. I'm using a training system for first-time 1/2 marathoners, and the process requires that you run 1/2 and walk 1/2 of the race...interestingly, the most challenging part of following this system is that I don't feel like I'm doing enough.

Do you ever feel that way? Like you're not doing enough? At work, at home...in school...with your friends, for your family? I think it's a common experience, and it can wear you down, if you let it.

As I've mentioned before, running has become an enormously helpful metaphor for how I understand life. I said in another blog this morning that my new life philosophy is:

"I run, therefore I cope."

The point of the exercise of running is to simply do it. It is not about doing enough or being fast enough...and it certainly isn't about finishing first. In the same way that we are called to participate with God in the journey of life, participating in a race is about joining the process, and staying with it until the very end...whether that means jogging, walking, crawling...just finish.

One of my favorite passages on the subject of running the race is Hebrews 12:1, and in The Message (a contemporary translation of the scripture), it reads this way:

"Strip down, start running-and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way."

If you ever feel like you're not doing enough, or not moving fast enough...relax, and give yourself a break. Remember that it isn't about finishing first...it's about staying in the race until the end. In today's Daily Inspiration for Runner's, I read this:

"RESOLVED: Once I start running, I never stop."

That's all...just keep going...hang on...and don't give up!




Comments

  1. Pastor PhilDecember 29, 2010 at 8:10 AM

    Good for you, Susie. There is nothing better than a good run. BTW www.mapmyrun.com is a great way to keep track of your mileage and come up with new places to pound the pavement.

    ReplyDelete
  2. dlb-TexasDecember 29, 2010 at 8:39 AM

    As always, very good. Sounds like you had a great Christmas and I am very glad.

    ReplyDelete

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