On Running

Today I hit a wall. It was a new kind of wall. I've been running weekly since December and it is amazing to me that I still feel as though I'm just a new kid on the block. I've run up to 16 miles at one time and I find myself wanting to quit today. I only had to run 8 miles but it felt like I was going to die half way through. Thank goodness for my friend Kristen who ran with me. 

I think I've hit the hard stage of training. The marathon is on June 6 and all I see in front of me are the 18 miles, 20 miles, and 26 mile runs. Up to this point, running has been exciting, something new, I've full of this amazing feeling of gratitude and accomplishment and now dread has set in. 

Perseverance is challenging. I think it comes in at different levels. I can persevere through a 14 mile run, but 18 is asking too much of me. I've hit the point of perseverance where I really have to depend on God. My ability to persevere with human strength has ended. 

Even as I type I wonder how I'm going to make it through the next month. I wonder what it will be like to finish the race. I wonder what training has done for me and how different it is from trying. If I had just decided to try to run a marathon, I wouldn't even have started the process of preparation. But, instead I've decided to train and the training is hard. I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm battling all the voices in my mind that tell me I can't and I look to Jesus, friends, and stories to give me the encouragement I need to keep pressing forward. 

Training is hard.

Have you ever trained for something and wanted to give up?

Have you ever tried something and thought you could just do it without training? 

Have you ever had to persevere to reach a goal?

I'd love to hear your stories. It would encourage me and I think others, as we train not just for the physical challenges in life, but in all areas.