Marathon Reflections

Last Sunday I ran a marathon.  I have been leading up to this event for nearly 10 years in my mind...in my body, the last 5 months.  As I look back on the experience there are a lot of things that come to my mind: the time, energy, effort, support, encouragement, injuries, aches and pains, doubts, fretting, anticipation, questions, wonder, fear, exhilaration, fatigue, hydration, nutrition, all seemed to occupy my thoughts and time.  There is a part of me that is questioning all this and asking: "was this worth it?"  There have been many lessons learned from this experience and some personal growth points discovered as a result of all the time and effort.  For me, the most important discovery and life lesson is the significance of mental preparation.  I had heard that 90% of running long distances was mental but I hadn't experienced that as much as I did in the preparation and actual running of the marathon.  Don't get me wrong, there is much to be said about the physical preparedness of running a marathon.  But what I'm taking away from this experience is the importance of having my mind focused and ready.  

What continually amazes me is how the Bible points out things that I discover sometimes the hard way and in some respects, after the fact.  The Bible has many verses that point out the value of the mind and the focus of the mind being on God.  I have to ask myself the question:  What or who am I allowing shape my mind?  Hmmmmm, I don't think I want to answer that but am coming to realize the importance allowing God to renew my mind day by day.  Now, the good news is you don't have to run a marathon to find this out.  However, we all in a marathon called life.

For what it's worth,

Marty

P.S. The jury is still out on whether I'll run another marathon!