Tips to get you motivated to run

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Tips to get you motivated to run

An Attitude of Gratitude

"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble... Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you... Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...
Because of the grace God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the standard of our God-given faith." Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:6-7; James 4:7-8; Romans 12:3

What a year it has been.  It was just over a year ago that I got the wild hair to run my second full marathon.  Just before Thanksgiving of 2009, I began conditioning myself so that I could begin marathon training in time to run the 2010 Country Music Marathon.  Since then I have logged over 1,200 miles, ran an almost full marathon (would have finished if it wasn't for that pesky thunderstorm that rolled in around mile 18), a 10k, and ran and helped train a whole team of people for a fall half marathon.



Some of the 1Voice Runners after the

2010 Franklin Classic - a few of the

people that I am truly grateful for.

Most of the time, endurance running is considered an individual sport... and there are many anecdotes out there about the lone long-distance runner - probably because much of the training is done alone.  But in my experience, especially this year, running is far from being a solo endeavor.  I will even go out on a limb and say that hundreds of people contributed in someway to my running season - and without them (whether I knew them personally or not) my year would not have panned out the way it did.  It would be nice to say that I did all 1,200 of those miles on my own... and that I ran those races on my own... that I organized all those Saturday training runs by myself... that I gave all that advice all out of my vast knowledge and expertice - it would really stoke my ego up a bit... but it would be a lie.

Our culture loves to make much ado over the "self-made man or woman" but in actuality, there is no such thing.  Even getting down to the bare basics of life, every "self-made" person would not even exist, were it not for a biological mother and father.  And then there were the people that, at the bare minimum, sustained the "self-made" person's life while said person was too young to care for himself.  Over the years, scores of people either sacrificed themselves or were sacrificed for Mr. or Mrs. Self-Made's success.  The question isn't whether a person is self-made or not.  The question is, does the person believe himself to be self-made, or does he or she see and appreciate all the minutia of countless contributions made on his behalf throughout the course of his life.

This is where we get to the heart of humility.  Humility is not about debasing yourself.  Debasing yourself can actually be a form of self-centeredness and pride... to where you see yourself as being so individually bad that you can't be helped.  True humility is thinking accurately about yourself.  Did you get to where you are all by yourself? The truth is no, you didn't.  The humble person would acknowledge that fact, and would give credit where credit is due... and in turn would be very greatful.  True gratitude flows out of true humility.

Humility and gratitude are powerful.  Hand-in-hand, they open the gateway for so much life to be released into your life.  As you see in the scriptural quotes above, God resists the proud.  He resists those who believe that they are self-sufficient... who need nothing and no one.  Yet, He gives grace to the humble.  Grace is a gift.  Gifts are always offered... but a gift is not truly given until it is received.  Someone who believes that he needs nothing or doesn't want to admidt that he needs something is not going to receive a gift.  Only someone who is humble will receive a gift that is offered.  That is why Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3)".  The poor in spirit know that in and of themselves, they have nothing... so they are fully willing to receive everything that is offered.  God is willing to offer us so much.  We just have to be humble enough to receive it.  By admitting our need, we receive all that we have need of... and that in turn produces a heart of gratitude, which bears the fruit of thanksgiving.  When we give thanks, we are reminded that we aren't in this race all by ourselves... we don't have only ourselves to rely on.  We are reminded that all we have, in one way or another, has been given to us, and will continue to be given to us as we have the need.  And what does that produce? Peace.  Check this out:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Philippians 4:6-8

With that, here is one practical application of an attitude of gratitude in our everyday lives, written by Ryan Hall:

The Power of Thankfulness  By Ryan Hall

November 27, 2010


When I was in college I wrote three words on three different 3 by 5 cards. These were words that I wanted to be engrained in my character. One of these words was “thankfulness“. At this time, I knew that one of the keys of having a positive attitude on a daily basis is finding something to be thankful for no matter what was going on around me. What I discovered in my pursuit of the thankful heart is that achieving a thankfulness is not a destination, it is a continual journey. To this day I am still trying to adopt more of a thankful heart and spirit.
With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away it is a good time to look at our lives and consider how we might be able to grow into more thankful individuals. I know from my own experience that thankfulness is closely tied to the amount of joy I experience on a daily basis. I have experienced that when I am finding things to be thankful for, there all the sudden seems to be an increase of things to be thankful for. Thankfulness is like a snow ball rolling down a snowy hill. The more thankful I am the easier it is to find things to be thankful for and the more blessing seem to increase around me.
Running is a great illustration of the benefits of a thankful heart. One of the tools I use to help me endure pain during a race is to focus on what part of my body feels good when I start to get tired. For example, when I ran 2:06 at the London Marathon I remember my calves tightening up 10 miles into the race. For a couple of minutes I began to panic as I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the finish if my calves were already tight so early in the race. However, rather than focusing on my tightening calves I focused on the rest of body that was feeling exceptionally good. Being thankful for the good shifted my focus from my calves. This was the last time I thought about my calves for the rest of the race and my thankful spirit lead to a personal best performance.
Thankfulness is a powerful way for us to get through tough times. It unlocks blessings in our lives and increases our joy. I encourage you to let this Thanksgiving kickoff a season of focusing on finding things to be thankful for, whether on the run or in the office.

So I'll end this post with my thanksgiving.  There is no way for me to thank, much less remember all those who gave in some way toward my year in running, but here are a few:

• My wife and family... thank you for giving me the freedom to run... even on Saturday mornings.
• 1 Voice Runners... thank you for allowing me to pour out in you all that has been deposited in me... and thanks for the companionship on all those Summer Saturday morning runs.
• Fleet Feet Nashville... thank you for the awesome marathon training that you offered this spring.  It definitely helped and inspired me throughout this year.
• HCA... thank you for being a place of employment that sees the importance in personal fitness and gratiously placed that belief in the thousands of dollars you gave to encourage people to participate in the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon
• My co-workers and boss... thanks for all your support this year... really!.
• All those who sponsored me this Spring as I ran in support of the HCA Hope Fund... you really did keep me going, more than you know.

I could go on and on... but I think you get the picture.  I couldn't have done it without all of you!

Let's keep running the race, willing to receive help and being thankful along the way.

Having the Faith to Start

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” ...Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ...So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. - Matthew 26:36-39,42,44

Usually, whenever someone talks about running, they either talk about speed or endurance.  Those are both admiral qualities to have.  Personally, I love talking about endurance.  It's pretty amazing to consider what the human body is capable of when someone has the will to endure.  Whether it's in a race or through challenges in life, sticktoitiveness is an inspiring thing. It's one thing to endure through hardships as they come your way.  It's a whole other thing to actually consciously start something you know is going to be long, hard, and challenging.

Two times in my life I have stood at the start of a marathon, knowing full-well the hours of challenge and "suffering" that were ahead of me... wondering to myself, "Why in the world did you sign up for this?"  Most people out there would call that crazy.  Why would anyone in their right mind knowingly submit themselves to four hours of non-stop gruel? Starting a long and rigerous race can be a scary thing to do... akin to jumping out of an airplane when sky diving.  Everything in your body is screaming, "Don't do it!" but you know in your heart-of-hearts that you have to... so you do it.  You commit yourself, and you go.

What is it that helps you overcome that fear of starting?  For me, my fear in taking on a marathon is the fear of failure... the fear of not finishing... the fear of not being able to endure till the end.  I'm not as concerned about the suffering, because suffering is temporary and has an end. I'm more concerned about the label of DNF (did not finish) being stuck to my name.  The thing that gives me the boldness to start is the assurance that I can endure.  It's that intangible thing called faith.  In running, it may be faith in my training... faith in my fitness... faith in my experience... faith in those who have guided my training and given me the insight I need to endure.  But more than faith in the things that I've done or others have done for me, the driving force that keeps me moving forward - that has me start down trepedacious paths when everything in me tells me not to, is faith in the One who calls me to start in the first place.  The apostle Paul wrote this while imprisoned for his walk of faith:

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6

This is what the writer of Hebrews said:

"And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." Hebrews 12:2-4

Back to the scripture that I started this post off with: Jesus knew full-well what He was about to go through.  Not only was He about to be ridiculed and tortured to death, He was about to have the cup of God's wrath toward sin poured out on Him.  Everything in His human body was telling Him not to do it... but He knew that He had to... and He did.  And now, because He did... and did not fail, we can too.  The things that God calls us to are possible in Him.  Now, don't get me wrong... we can't just start out on a crazy idea and hope that God will bless us in it.  But if God is truly calling you to step out and do something... to become a one-income family so that you can raise your kids well... to start a business venture that you really aren't qualified for... to care for a sick relative... to move into a crime-ridden part of the inner city to minister to homeless people... to pray for a blind man to receive his sight - If God is calling you to do it, then if you do it in His grace, He will be faithful to complete it.  You don't have to worry about failure... you just have to walk (or run) in faith.

Before we can run the race, we have to actually begin.  You can't run a marathon by just standing at the starting line.  We can do it in Him.  Let's have the faith to start.

Passing the Baton

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith..." Hebrews 12:1a

My intention was to write this post last week, but I was inturrepted by a long 6-day business trip to Orlando... so here I sit.  Relay racing was on my mind last week because last Saturday marked the conclusion of the first ever Ragnar Relay in Tennessee.  The Ragnar Relay - Tennessee is a 195.5 mile run from Chattanooga to Nashville, beginning on a Friday afternoon and ending on the following Saturday.  Teams are made up of 12 runners, each taking their turns at 3 different legs during the race.  The fastest team started out their journey at 4 PM that Friday afternoon, and finished almost 20 hours later, with an average pace of 06:09 per mile.  I don't think any one person would be able to run 195 miles at a 06:09 pace, but together, they were able.

For the past few days, my Bible reading has been in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews.  This chapter is what Christians refer to as the Hall of Faith.  Throughout that chapter, the author recounts some of the heros throughout the history of the Nation of Israel, saying that they lived the life they lived and did the things they did by faith: they believed in Someone and something far greater than themselves... they saw far beyond their brief time on earth and lived lives that were of eternal consequence.

You see, the Bible in some ways reads like a play-by-play of a multi-millenial relay race.  The runners of the Ragnar Relay could not see the finish line in Nashville from the starting line in Chattanooga... but they ran the race believeing that ultimately, as a team, they would reach the finish line that none of them could see and none of them could reach on their own.  For us, the beginning of our great race is described here:

"So the LORD God said to the serpent: '...And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.'" Genesis 3:15

Man and Woman had just fallen into sin.  This was God's response - His declaration of His plan of salvation for the human race and the destruction of evil.  The Hebrew word that is translated into our English word 'bruise' can actually mean different things.  It can mean to bruise, but it can also mean to crush, seize, or strike out against.  That last line of the verse could be translated like this: "He shall crush your head, and you shall strike out against His heel."  Basically God is saying to Satan the serpant, someone is coming... you will strike out against Him and wound Him... but He will crush your head.  If you take a close look, you will see something even more interesting.  God says that this savior will come from woman's seed.  If you know anything about reproductive biology, you know that women do not have seed.  They have eggs that need to be fertilized by seed.  Not only is God telling of Satan's destruction, but He is saying that the Savior of Mankind and the Destroyer of Evil will have a virgin birth.  Sound familiar?  From generation to generation over multiple millennia, this promise of good news has been passed down.  And over those millennia, men and women who have believed in the promise, have given their lives to see this promise ultimately fulfilled.  The book of Hebrews says it this way:

"How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.


But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.


All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us." Hebrews 11:32-40

It is at this point where Hebrews moves from Chapter 11 to Chapter 12... and we see the passage that I quoted at the beginning of the post: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith..."  This huge crowd of witnesses described by the author of Hebrews is the great hall of faith - our fellow runners in this great and grand relay.  Whenever I read Hebrews 12:1, I think of this scene from "Saving Private Ryan."



An entire company of soldiers gave up their lives for the single purpose of saving Private Ryan.  At the end of the movie, Ryan wanted assurance that his life had been worth the sacrifice. Untold numbers of people have gladly given their lives for the hope of a salvation and an ending of evil once and for all... all runners... faithfully running their leg of the race as best as they were able, setting the next generation up for success as they selflessly handed off the baton.

We are now part of this great race.  We have been handed the baton. It's our time to run as all those who have gone before us watch and cheer us on.  You see, they can't reach the finish without us... and untold numbers of people who are alive today, and even those who aren't even born yet but will be alive in the years to come, are counting on us to run well... and not only run well but set the next generation up for success, that they may run and continue the promise.  I'm not just saying this to those of you who read this post.  I say this to myself as well: am I... are we running the race... are we living a life worthy of the sacrifices that have been made... worthy of the great sacrifice that God made in sending His Son to die for us... worthy of the calling that God has given us to be His ambassadors at this time in history?  And are we actively running in such a way that we can hand off the baton without a drop, and see those that come after us run the finishing legs of this race to victory?

I leave you with this song from one of my favorite bands:



Let's run this race and run it well... I dare you.