Good Morning Girls!  My Girl April is running her first half marathon this weekend.  She has been training for it the last 12 weeks or so.  Before she even began training, she would say she couldn't imagine ever being able to run 13.1 miles.  She thought it would take her months and months to train her body.  She is similar to me in that she enjoys running, but by no means has that natural "runner's body" that you often see in marathoners (probably because her legs are longer than all get out...but I am not jealous or anything).  To train for this was going to be a push both physically, and mentally.  So she started training extra early, to run a race later this spring.
I tried to tell her that she would not need more than 12 weeks.  I tried to tell her that her body would adapt faster than she believed possible.  But again, she is like me.  At the time I was telling her this, she struggled with running three miles.....she believed there was no way she could work up to 13 in just a matter of weeks. 
Training for a distance sport is one of the most fascinating experiences you can have.  Now remember, I have only done a 10 miler, and for that I trained 8 or 10 weeks for.  But the process I went through and the process April went through, is similar to what the larger distance trainers go through.....and it really is amazing.
Yes, it is a push physically.  Your feet hurt.  Your calves hurt.  Your legs, butt, back, shoulders....pretty much everything hurts.  But you get used to it.  You get used to it, because there really is nothing you can do about it.  You take a few advil, soak in the hot tub, ice whatever hurts the most that day, and walk around smelling like icyhot for a few weeks.  Other than that, you take the pain as part of the deal, and look forward to the day after race day.....when you can throw your running shoes in the corner and ignore them for a week or so!  Yes, you have to fight through the physical pain.
However, the physical pain is nothing compared to the mental games you play when training for a distance sport.  At first you have to fight the feelings of doubt.  I told you that April could not believe that she could do it....but that didn't stop her.  As much as she found it hard to believe....she determined to prove herself wrong.  She picked a training program, and she set out to do it. 
Perhaps at this point you are wondering why I am going on and on about a friends race.  If you are, I want you to start seeing how this training experience is no different than how we deal with any difficulty or trial in our lives.  I was going to save that connection for the end....but I am afraid I am going to lose some of you that only see this as a story about a race.  It is about a race....the race we all run.....the race we are to run with purpose Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:26. 
What April experienced while training,  and what she will experience this Sunday at the race, is no different than what each and every one of us experiences in our lives.  It is just that when it occurs in a distance sport, it is a more controlled and isolated experience.  It is an intense experience of mental warfare that we must fight every time we put on our shoes. 
One of the things that fascinated me was the fact that it didn't seem to matter if I was running 4 miles, or 10 miles.  Either way I had to mentally fight for each step.  Your mind fights with you and tells you you cannot do it.  It tells you you are in pain.  It tells you your legs are going to give out.  It tells you you are wasting your time.  It tells you to stop.  It tells you all kinds of negative things......if you let it.  The ones who finish training........ The ones who run the race.....are the ones who don't let it.  They are the ones who talk back to that negative voice in their head.  They are the ones who speak words of victory.  They are the ones who call on the name of Jesus to get them through the difficult mile markers.  When they hear a negative...they immediately fight back.  When the voice says "your back is hurting like never before", they answer "By the stripes of Jesus I am healed.....I am more than a conqueror.....I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  And they press on.  They do not stop and think "Wow, it is hurting like never before....I wonder if I should stop".  No!  They do not entertain the negative.  They get scrappy and fight back.  Right away.  Without hesitation.  They will experience this each and every time they put on their running shoes.  April will experience it this weekend.  Though she knows she has trained for this day, her mind will no doubt tell her at some point that she cannot do it.  But I know my Girl, she will not take that crap.  She has an arsenal of Word and the mind of Christ to fight through every question of doubt that tries to stop her.  And guess what....so do each and every one of you!  Now go lace up............

1 Corinthians 9:26 So I run with purpose in every step, I am not just shadowboxing.

Love, thanks, and blessings to you all-
Jen