Over the last several weeks, I've been extremely frustrated with my running performances. My training has been going great, I've done all the workouts, the extra, the two-a-days, and not once cut a corner. But my times were not reflecting my shape nor my work. It was as though I was a completely different running in a race then I was at practice.
"It's all mental", they would say. Of course, everything is mental, even the physical part is mental.
What's going on!?
How is it that I can do all this work at practice but when it comes to applying it, it just doesn't happen? If I had the answer to this problem, I'd bottle it up and sell it.
My running experiment is more than just about the "race". Its about the life lessons and the journey, which I had forgotten about. I started to make it all about me, as we often do with our lives.
How often, as Christians, do we act, say and preach one message but when its time to "race" we do something completely out of character? We go to church, Bible study, hang out with other Christians but when life takes a sharp turn or faced with a challenge or temptation, we become a different person.
For me personally, this has been a struggle. The challenge now is, how can my practical life and "race" life be the same? How can I be consistent with my spiritual life and training. Again, resorting back to my previous comment, if I had the answer to this problem, I'd bottle it up and sell it. Of course, many will give you a cliche answer that is always easier said then done. The good news is, there's a solution. The real beauty of it all, is that this life is a journey. As frustrating as this maybe as a runner and a Christian, the things I've learned about myself are priceless. The challenges have been hard, the workouts have been tough, but the reward is well worth the sacrifice. The journey continues and my search for that bridge that comes between my practical life and "race" life shall go on.
