Motivation for Starting this Insane Challenge?: “Mind over Body.” I knew that once I’d committed my mind to doing this marathon, the body would just have to follow suit.
I started out using the training plan created by World Vision, the team I’m running for. They call it the training guide for “Beginners, Beginners, Beginners,” which sounded appropriate for me.
I am not a runner. I never have been. I enjoy running, but I usually get winded after about ten minutes and either force myself to grudgingly complete a mile/mile and a half, or I drop the facade and walk for about ten more minutes before officially calling it quits. I like the idea of running. I love being outdoors and I love being active and feeling a good sweat, fast heartbeat, and sore muscles. I just struggle to actually bring myself to do it. My husband calls this the activation energy, the energy it takes to actually get yourself going, that’s my biggest struggle. Sound familiar? I know I’m not alone. They don’t make pre-workout for no reason.
Preparation: Before I set out for my first official run, I set up everything I could possibly need so that I had absolutely no excuse for why I couldn’t start training today. The most pressing concerns: a Timer and Music.
I couldn’t imagine having to reset my phone’s timer every 3 minutes, or hearing that annoying alarm so frequently, so after a quick Google I wasn’t surprised to find an app for interval training. (They really do have an app for everything). I downloaded IntervalTimer, preset the workout for 3 minutes high interval, 1 minute low interval. (And by “high interval,” I mean a slight jog at this point).
Like any good adventure, it calls for a good soundtrack, so I created my own playlist. It’s called Folk Jams, most of the music coming from Vance Joy, Of Monsters and Men, Ben Howard, and The Head and the Heart. Music with positive lyrics, a steady bass drum, and hopefully a cello is my inspiration. I made sure my wireless headphones were fully charged and connected to my phone before leaving the front door, I couldn’t afford any oversights. I took the Otterbox cover off of my phone so that it would fit into the pink armband I purchased from Amazon, “Ready, Totally Ready,” I thought as I slid my wrist through it.
The Run: Stepping out of the building, it was a brisk 50 degree and overcast day. The bright green of the spring buds on trees stood out against the thick gray that hovered over and between their branches. When the ding of the first interval sounded I started to run. I felt light on my feet, I felt motivation and commitment surge through my veins. I felt pride that I was out there, running in an unusually empty park when everyone else must have been in their home, taking rest on this dreary Monday afternoon. I felt brave and unique.
It was maybe around the 5th interval that I started feeling the pain in my abdomen. Definitely not uncommon, just a sharp cramping feeling that went away when I walked, but I couldn’t walk for long! I had to push myself. I wanted to stop and stretch but I didn’t know if that was allowed according to this regimen! There’s not much direction included in this Beginner’s Guide! I’ll have to ask at the meeting on Wednesday night. For today, I had to push through. During the 6th interval I had some sort of overworked muscle feeling in my upper, inner left quad. Every step I took I felt the pulling, like it had no spring left. It would have been so good to stop but instead I kept taking steps with my left foot, trying to lift it higher, or stretch it further. My run was incredibly wonky for a good few yards, but it did the trick! My leg was stretched out and woken up just enough to keep going without so much agitation. The little tricks I learned today! And I didn’t give up! I completed the 30 minute exercise. Legs definitely sore already, but completely worth it!
Learning: Today I realized that trees grow crookedly sometimes. When they need to get to the light that is blocked by maybe a building or another tree, they bend and lean until they reach it, then they continue to grow directly toward it.
Of course I knew this scientific fact prior to today, but it was today that a deeper realization hit me about these seemingly crooked trees: We are just like them.
We have to grow toward the light, whatever that may mean for our path. Sometimes our path looks crooked, bent, and confused, but it actually makes perfect sense in the long run. We have to find the light, and once we do, we grow straight.
To me this means finding God, finding Life, finding Purpose. It means being born into darkness and having to figure your way out, confused and displaced, until you stumble into a patch of Light, of Life, of health, and it’s so good that you have to follow it. Maybe for you it was finding a fulfilling career, or hobby, or relationship. Maybe your Light is your dream, the path your working toward. My Light is God, and He’s made my path straight.
I’m asking you, what is the light that you grow toward? Is it guiding you to grow straight?
Marathon, May I? 