Marathon Training

A Tale of Two Marathons

10644434_10203874083907459_5413677428575784629_nLast Saturday I officially completed my second marathon. Actually in my opinion this is the only real one since the other ended in disaster.

Pretty much everything you need to know about my first marathon can be found in this picture at the finish line.

 

 

 

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  1. The stomach cramps that kept me from standing up straight
  2. An inability stand on my own
  3. The forced smile that tries to cover up the severe pain I’m in

Now compare that with the picture from Saturdays finish line

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  1. A real smile
  2. Not overwhelmed by pain
  3. Standing on my own power

A lot of things made the difference between these two finishes. But one of the most important was listening to my body

During the marathon I had the privilege running with one of my training partners who is faster than me [1]. Together we ran the first twenty miles at race pace (very fast), but after that my right leg started cramping.

At this point I had a decision to make. Do I start slowing down a bit and let my friend continue at her fast pace? Or do I try to keep up with her?

Thankfully our running coach reminded us last week about listening to our bodies. So I realized the beginnings of a cramp in the leg were my bodies way of saying. “Okay John you’re running an awesome race but now it’s time to let your partner go because this pace is a little too fast for me.”

So for the last six miles I slowed down and simply ran my own race [2].

And that’s what made the difference

In the first marathon my body started warning me about pushing too hard but I chose to ignore them. Hence the picture of me doubled over in pain.

In the second I listened..so the last mile was an awesome experience

Instead of people asking if I was okay like first marathon

  1. They cheered me on as I went faster [3]
  2. Gave at least three “aussie aussie aussie” chants which I responded to with a loud “oi oi oi”
  3. And joked with them about just rolling me down the hill

I’m not really sure how it would have finished if I hadn’t listened to my body…but I can guarantee you sprinting and playing to the crowd wouldn’t be involved.

The most important thing that marathon training has taught me about running is this: Don’t chase the rabbits.

There are always people who are faster (rabbits), or better than you in certain situations. And there often will be voice in the back of your head that says “you have to keep up!”

Don’t listen to it…

Just let them go and run your own race

That may mean your pride takes a hit, but it makes the difference between celebrating and collapsing at the finish line.

  1. Duirng our long runs she always had more strength and speed at the end  ↩
  2. I still ended up running much faster than any other long run, and set personal records  ↩
  3. ran the last mile at the fastest pace because of emotion and adrenaline  ↩
What Missions Means

Why I Refuse to Call MInistry Missions

Over pepperoni pizza with a friend last night I expressed my desire to help others in a deeper way. More than once in the conversation I told him “man I just want to do missions!”

My frustration describes a common struggle for Christianity.

We are awesome at ministry
But we are terrible at missions

Now some people may view ministry and missions as the same thing, but trust me when I say there are HUGE differences

Ministry is about:

  1. Getting involved with a group that’s already doing a work in the community
  2. Ministering to physical or emotional needs [1]
  3. Developing relationships
  4. Spending a few hours a week with those in need

Missions is about:

  1. Starting something yourself in most cases
  2. Ministering to a persons spiritual needs [2]
  3. Explaining what’s going on in the world from a Christian worldview
  4. Developing a deeper relationship built on transparency [3]
  5. Spending quality time with individuals instead of a few hours each week

Let me just say that there is definitely a need for Christians like myself to be involved in ministry [4]. However we must stop doing ministry and calling it missions because there is a big difference.

So why do Christians struggle with missions while we are so awesome at ministry anyways?  There are many answers but the most basic one is this (at least for me).

Missions involves taking risks, and there is a high possibility of rejection.

There is almost no risk in ministry; they give training, fit into your schedule, will answer any questions, and if a problem arises the organization will do anything they can to help.

Missions is all about risk

For instance I feel the Lord leading me to start a free one on one tutoring program for children or teenagers in low income housing areas from a Christian worldview using the Gospel [5].

In this situation I would need to

  1. Create the lesson plans
  2. Find area where free tutoring is needed
  3. Find a place there to do tutoring
  4. Promote the tutoring program
  5. Earn the trust of families in their area [6]
  6. In many cases find a way to get children to the place where teaching is done, and back to their home
  7. As I get to know children create lesson plans specifically for them
  8. Create and promote lessons on subjects important to individuals in that area
  9. and so on

It’s pretty obvious going to a school for an hour every Thursday morning is a lot easier than missions

Again I’m not saying Christians shouldn’t be involved in ministry…there are definitely people out there in need.

The issue is when Christians do ministry and call it missions.

Because missions is messy
It takes an incredibly long time
It involves more than just an hour a week
It means facing your fears and risking rejection
And it’s not for the faint of heart

But it’s also the most incredible thing you could spend your life doing.

  1. poverty, lack of quality education, poor family background  ↩
  2. their need of a Savior for their sins  ↩
  3. These real relationships take a VERY long time to build  ↩
  4. In most cases it’s only after earning a persons trust that we can enter into a deeper relationship  ↩
  5. this will be done from a Christian perspective so the Gospel is part of my lesson plans  ↩
  6. understandably they won’t trust me right away  ↩