Monday, October 26, 2009

One terrible run doesn't mean the end


Do you ever have those days where nothing seems to be going right? Saturday's long run was mine. I woke up after a restless night to run 16 miles. I don't know if it was nerves or what but I couldn't seem to make myself eat breakfast. I knew I needed it to sustain myself but I just couldn't. I ate a GU and stretched a little and waited for the run to begin. Of course things weren't going good for Jenn either, she got pulled over by one of Joshua's fine police officers while dropping water off at the water stops. Maybe we should have just called it quits and crawled back into bed.

Once we started running I kept thinking "Okay Donna, you can run this. Just take it in segments." Normally this works Saturday it didn't. By mile five I had to stop to go potty, and by mile six I had a blister the size of a dime. I still had ten more miles. I felt defeated and deflated. How was I going to run a marathon when I couldn't get through a 16 mile run?

Needless to say my running mates ran well ahead of me and this played more with my mind. They ended up finishing the run almost two miles ahead of me of which I ran by myself at a pace a box turtle could have passed.

I kept thinking what am I suppose to take away from this experience? What am I suppose to learn? Was the lesson to quit or keep running?

I struggled with this over the weekend with pain in my left knee so severe I couldn't walk. Hopelessness pulled me down and Monday morning came and I still wasn't able to bare weight on my leg or run the four miles scheduled. Look out pity party. I was having the biggest one of the century and no one wanted to join me for it. Ever have those days?

Needless to say, I needed to find my focus and I turned where I always turn to Jesus. I know, just like a Christian to turn to Him when things are tough. Yep, sure is, that is why He is Father and I am His beloved.

The verses I read that pulled me up are:



"When times are good, be happy but when times are bad, consider God has
made one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14


"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28




So with the rain coming down on my window and the world looking gray I am not going to stay with my pity party. God has better plans for me. What does he have for you? Have you allowed life's frustrations to prevent you from succeeding?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Simply training for a marathon is amazing!