Running the Race

Okay, so you know that I'm on this running kick; and so far its going great. Yesterday I ran an entire mile without stopping! To some of you this is no big deal, but for me this is a huge accomplishment.

A week and a half ago I could barely get to 1/4th of a mile without stopping. I had to push myself to the limit to get to a quarter mile. 10 days later, I got to the mile. Now, I'm not exactly running at world record pace, but nonetheless, I am definitely improving.

My next goal: 1.5 miles without stopping. I have been working extremely hard over the last 10 days to get where I am. I have run every day (except for 2...cause everything I have read says that I need a day off a week for best results; I'm trying to do this the healthy way!), and I have been lifting weights on a regular schedule. I am tired and sore...and I feel GREAT!

Endurance is a VERY hard thing to achieve; especially for me. It does not come naturally to me at all. A week and a half ago, endurance meant getting past the quarter mile, now it means a full mile. Lord willing, in 2 more weeks it will be even farther. I will have to continue to work really hard at this to get there. Endurance is really hard.

But, it it also worth it. Now, when I get to a quarter mile I feel like I have been walking. I don't even start feeling tired until close to 3/4th of a mile. Thanks to the hard work, I am gaining endurance- and while 1 mile used to scare me, it doesn't anymore.

I am trying to develop endurance in my life as well. Again, it doesn't come easily for me. I feel like I am constantly fighting the urge to just stop. I have made it past 5 years here and while I feel fatigued, I see some things that have become my quarter mile.

I am enjoying my singleness like never before. I am enjoying my alone time like never before. While standing in front of Kids Club with a microphone in my hand used to terrify me, now I look forward to it. These are my quarter miles.

Its the accomplishment of that quarter mile...and onto the mile...that keeps me going because I have some 5K's ahead of me that seem impossible to accomplish. I am enjoying singleness at 27, but what will I feel like at 47? I enjoy Kids Club, but next week I am supposed to speak at Teen Club, and I'm scared. Finances seem to be my marathon, requiring MUCH endurance and constant struggle.

Training for a marathon is really intense. It takes a lot of work, a lot of perseverance and endurance. It takes focus, determination, and not everyone is made to do it. That's completely okay, I don't think there is anything wrong with stopping at a 5 or 10K.

In life plenty of people stop at a certain point and are comfortable with how far they have come. That is absolutely an individual choice and one I feel like I am faced with all the time. I am constantly tempted to stop running. I'm tired, I'm hurt, and I just want to rest. (I mean this both literally and figuratively- my legs are sore!)

I always have to ask myself how far I really want to go. It would be so much easier to stick with where I am and not push myself any farther. I really like being comfortable, and pushing myself is hard, not comfortable. I could even stay in Philly and not really push myself, refusing to go after challenging things and turning my back on things that might be too difficult. I'm constantly surprised by how comfortable my life really could be if I chose to stop pushing myself. So, I have to ask myself; how far do I want to push? I know I can go as far as I want, God makes it very clear that He will give me all the strength I need...but the farther I go, the more that will be required of me.

In my running endeavors, my current goal is a 5K, hopefully to go onto a 10K. After that, we'll see.

In life, I'm going for the marathon.