Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Weeks 10 and 11 SHM



Week 10: For the Long Run
The highlight of Week 10 was that I completed a long run of 14 miles. I ran it and I recovered from it without any soreness. Later in the week I did learn that I had a bit of lingering fatigue but I think a lot of that was because I was so busy and didn’t get enough sleep at night.

So, Mile10’s power verse is a repeat :
" I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13 (NKJ)

It’s fitting that Week 10 is a remembrance of this verse. My longest, long run stands firmly on my ability to draw my strength from Christ. Mile 10 is a make it or break it point in the race. You’re over the hump so to speak because you are in double digits but you still have 3.1 more miles to go. Mentally, it’s time to dig in deep and search for that strength to keep going.

Week 11: There is NO Quit in Me
“You will experience fatigue and have to be mentally strong to simply keep going, knowing that you are going to continue to feel tired. However, it's important to remember that feeling tired is what training is about. You receive many benefits in marathon training only after you're tired. So the goal is to run beyond to the point of being tired so that the body is stimulated to grow stronger and more resistance to tiredness.”  ~ Greg McMillian, Running Coach


It’s at this point I must say, that I am tired. My body is talking to me and I just want to rest. I don’t want to hear the alarm clock go off at 4:50 a.m….I’m tired of hearing, beep, beep, beep and thinking about getting up while it’s still dark. I just want to sleep but I don’t have time to whine or think about what I want right now. Coach McMillian said it best, “feeling tired is what training is all about.”  Yep, I’m in the heat of the battle (as the saying goes) because I’m feeling really tired right now. This upcoming Saturday is a race day for me so I have to collect my thoughts. I have a race to run.
This training session has been different for me because I Believe differently. I don’t look at the miles and dread them. I look at the miles knowing I will complete them. What's different about my 10, 12 and 14 mile long runs? My outlook is different. I’ve gotten to the point in my running that I realize there is No Quit in Me.  If you’ve been following me, I told you weeks ago I’m more than a survivor; I’m a fighter.  I have gutted it out for weeks doing track work, hill repeats and long runs and I’ve been through enough bad runs to know that my strength to continue comes only through Christ.  I didn’t give up when someone else told me I should. I didn’t give up when my injuries seemed to persist. I didn’t give up when the temperature at 6 a.m. was 90 degrees on a good day.  I didn’t give up when I was dehydrated to the point I was about to be sick. I didn’t give up when my butt hurt for days and I couldn’t sit for long periods of time. I didn’t give up when others questioned my training.  Instead of quitting, I grew mentally stronger. Running has changed me from the inside out. My physical strength is only seen through my mental toughness. I keep running because I believe I can. I believe in myself and "I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phillipians 4:13). God gave me the promise and I beieve it. Quitting is a mind-set. It’s a tactic of the enemy to keep me from God’s best. I say to the enemy, There is No Quit in Me!
Mille 11 is about focusing on that mental strength to be persistent and to keep running:

 James 1:2-3: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whennever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance(NIV)

Gratitude Journal

I am grateful for the training preparation.
I am grateful for the hard and easy runs.
I am grateful for the running experience.
I am grateful that running changed me.

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