Have you ever felt like giving up on running? Fatigue, injury, illness or a busy
life can wear on you. One time I started a run and my mind said flatly, calmly
and definitively: “I don’t want to run anymore. Ever.” When a run starts out
rough, I’ll usually cheer myself on knowing the run will get better after a warm
up but this day I’d have quit right there if I hadn’t been running with a
friend. This had been building over a period of weeks and it was becoming more
and more difficult to get out and run. On this day, it was very cold and the
wind was blowing tears down my frozen face. My friend was chatting and even
sounded upbeat but I was struggling. If “living in the moment” is reveling in
utter happiness, this could easily be called “dying in the moment”. And I don’t
recommend it.
If you ever find yourself this discouraged, try to remember the reasons why you
do what you do. List that good stuff out if it helps you remember because
analyzing your motives is a key for everything. The Bible has a lot to say about
our motives and if they are in the right place, they can be a great source of
long-term inspiration.
First off, being healthy makes everything else in life so much better. I wish
knowing that alone would suffice for me to eat healthy but I need an additional
reason to take care and eat right. I love junk food. I imagine heaven is filled
with french fries and ice cream…or maybe the green beans will taste like
french fries–either way. While pregnant, it was all clean eating, vitamins,
water and sleep. I had a good reason! After pregnancy, I found I needed another
reason to eat healthy and racing keeps me in line. I just can’t train well on
junk food.
When I remember the trickle-down effects of my healthy habits, it also helps
make the hard days of training worthwhile. My family eats healthier than they
would if I didn’t fix healthy meals. My kids run, bike and swim with me and
maybe one of the best things is that they’ve seen me race and be thrilled with a
new best time — even though I didn’t win (except that one time!). It’s so
important to be happy with your best. Another good one is that I’m not exhausted
when we go on hikes or vacations. My husband used to drag me about on trips. One
time he even had to save me from drowning as I ran out of energy mid-swim. In my
defense, it was a wave pool. However, not long after I began exercising, he
spoke admiringly of my ability to book-it through the airport with loads of
luggage. Those were sweet words.
Proverbs 16:2 (ESV) says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but
the Lord weighs the spirit.” If your goal is to serve the Lord, being careful
with your health gives you more energy to do just that. Finding something that
motivates you to stay on track with your goals is a real treasure and blessing.
Given all that running does for me and my family, it’s not worth a momentary
comfort to quit. I guess it would be a lot of moments of comfort … but you
know what I mean. And that cold and bitter run? It eventually turned around
and got better. We even ran an extra mile. Very thankful for good friends too!
Happy Running!
