Hey guys! Welcome back to this month’s installment of life lessons! This month I am focusing on running. Yes, the exercise; running.
Running on the treadmill was an exercise that I absolutely HATED. I hated running since grade school because it was hard, I would be breathless, AND, I was the slowest runner in my class. In any circumstance, whatsoever, I hated to run, period.
At one point in my life, I had accepted my fate that I was not going to run, EVER. If there was an emergency that ever required me to run, I was determined to be that one person not to run and let whatever behind me, catch me, lol.
But, one day, I decided to challenge myself. I decided I was going to let go of the hate and started to run… It was hard to start and I had to constantly fight mind battles telling me that I was never going to run comfortable, but BABBBBEEEEE, when I tell you once I broke those negative thoughts and images, I LOVED IT!!
Now, when I run on the treadmill, I can feel the stress melt out of my muscles and into my sweat; I feel new breath coming in and out of my lungs; I feel much more relaxed and at peace.
Once again, I learned from something that seems so minuscule. Running has taught me AH-LOT. However, from those many things, God lead me to share five things I learned from running that I apply to everyday life.
#1. It is better to go at your own pace than trying to keep up with everybody else.
One of the first and most important things I learned when I started running was that I had to learn how to pace myself. I had to focus on pacing my breath, movements, and speed, which can be a hard thing to do sometimes!
Your brain can trick you into believing that you can go at faster speed, higher incline, or even one of those intense programs that are available on the treadmill. When I started out running, I knew and believed that I could do it all. I envisioned myself, running, at 9 MPH, with long strides and deep, exhilarating breaths…
That all was a lie.
I started out brisk walking/jogging at 2.7 MPH with zero incline. It stayed that way for 3 weeks before I could go any higher on either one. I would beat myself up because my mind told me I could be further, but my body could not do it. From there, I felt disappointed and felt like a failure.
Then, I had to realize that I was not competing against nor with anyone except my own mind. I realized that eventually I would be further, but it would be best for now, to take my time and pace myself. There was no need to rush and get to place that I was eventually going to be once I paced myself and found my own stride.
Most of the time we do the same thing when we witness our peers getting ahead in life and we feel like the slow turtle in a race with a bunch of hares. However, I am here to tell you, that is just not true.
See, God has made all of us so unique that we get to run our own race WITHOUT competition. There is no favoritism; no one is going to win the “best runner” award, and no one is running the same race as we are.
Yes, we have similar experiences, but yet, they are all different. Comparison is thief of joy, and constantly comparing yourself to someone else will always steal your shine away from you.
So… pace yourself. You are going to get where God has destined you to be, in due time. There are more supporters that is cheering you on other than you.
#2. Learn how to breathe
Continuing from #1, while pacing yourself, you have to learn how to properly breathe.
I remember when I first started running, my back and chest would hurt really bad after my run. I realized that I was not using proper breathing techniques while I was running, which made it harder for me to run.
I had to make sure that while running, I was breathing in through my nose and out of my mouth. This method may not be the best to do while running, but it worked for me. My back and chest stopped hurting and I was free from a physical restraint that kept me from running.
Same thing can be applied to life!
So much can be going on around us that we forget to breath. We forget to set aside a moment for ourselves to gain clarity and peace when things get hectic and out of order.
Taking a moment to take in the Word of God, whether reading or reciting, will give us our breath back. It will provide us with a new wind/new perspective of looking at things. Spending time with God, even in the moment of a breath, it will give us the freedom and clarity we are looking for.
Sometimes we may not have a moment to take breathe, however, remember that as quickly as our breath comes in and out of us, we can pray a prayer or recite a Word.
Just breathe in those tough moments, gain clarity and peace, and know that it shall pass.
#3. Stretch it out!
After a good AND hard run, the best thing to do is stretch every muscle, especially your legs. But, frankly, stretching was something I forgot to do after running.
I would be so glad that the run was over that I would clean off the treadmill, go to the locker to cool down a bit, grab my stuff, and be out of the door, lol. It wouldn’t be until I got home when I would remember to stretch and STILL would not do it, smh!
Stretching is important because of the tension and pulling of muscles during running has put tears into the muscle so that as it heals, it will build more muscle. That’s why we end up sore after intense workouts, such as running.
Same thing when you go through tough processes in your life: You go through an intense situation, it tears you down, you become “sore”/hurt by the situation, and then you start to heal.
Throughout a hard situation, you will find yourself being stretched through some uncomfortable circumstances. Stretching is essential because it shows us how we may feel uncomfortable in something, however, you will not break.
In order heal, we have stretch to our muscle (love, joy, forgiveness, peace, etc,.) in those uncomfortable places in order to make them come back stronger and mightier than it was before. Stretching will ask you to let go grudges, past hurts, and many hurts that we hold onto. But God stretches us; making sure that “soreness” is all the way out so that healing can begin and new muscle can be built.
#4. Be knowledgeable of your distance.
I don’t know about ya’ll, but I like to keep track of how far I have been running while on the treadmill. I get so excited when I hit the one mile mark, OR, even when I hit the mile and a half mark!
Like…WOW! I did that!
But, sometimes, I get so caught up in how far I have come and forget the other things I needed to continuously do in order to have a full and complete workout. I would get so excited and wanted to complete more miles that I would intentionally forget that I had other parts of my workout, like weight lifting and stretching.
Same thing with life…
Sometimes I get so caught up in the great stuff that happens around me, that I focus solely on those things. I would end up distancing myself from God because everything was going so good that there was no need to pray or read the Word. I felt as though I was covered.
It’s cool to be knowledgeable of how far you have come in your life, however, it is not good to make that your focus, and ultimately, your joy. Those things will ultimately disappoint us but those things only last for so long because the freshness of it being new fades away and becomes an old thing. Then, we go in search for another new thing.
When we focus too much on ourselves, we end up in a dangerous position where we become distant from God thinking that we did this thing on our own. I had to realize that there is no way that I came this far on my own. It was all God’s Plan and that I was a small vehicle to help to transport it.
I had to continuously remind myself that I did not accomplish great things and do those great things on my own… God helped me… A LOT. And that the things that I was chasing, would eventually stop and fade away.
So, its cool that I have come from a very far and long way, but let me not forget who got me here.
#5. Eventually, it’s over.
This may be bad, but when I first start running on the treadmill, my first thought most of the time is this: “It needs to be done. You can do this! Just think… it will eventually be over!”.
It may not be the best thought to think as soon as stepping onto a treadmill, but frankly, it is what gets me through the workout. There is a comfort in knowing that it will soon be over.
It is the same mentality that I try to adapt in my personal everyday life. When things get tough, and it seems as though this tough thing will NEVER end, I always think, “It’s gotta end soon”. There is no possible way for me to accept that THIS will last forever.
Hard situations are H A R D, but that does not mean that it will last forever. Sometimes, we wait for the situations to change, when in reality, it is our perspective that needs to change.
If we continuously look at things, even the hard things, from a negative view point, those things will ALWAYS be harder than they should be. However, retaining and maintaining hope and a positive outlook throughout a hard circumstance may not change the situation, but it will change how it affects you.
So, it may not end as soon as you want it too, but in your mind, you can have won the battle and the war.
These are some of the MANY life lessons that running has taught me and I hope they are as helpful to you as they are for me!
God Bless,
With love,
Love,
T.
Enjoying the sweetness of god 