Increase Your Speed - The Runner's Devotional
Increase Your Speed
People run for a variety of reasons, and they vary greatly in body shapes and running styles. They may begin running by jogging a few blocks. Then, as they gain stamina and confidence, they lengthen those daily runs and increase their pace. Regardless of how long they go or how often, all runners recognize the difference between a run in the neighborhood and a race. By definition, a race implies competition with other runners and especially against the clock. Certainly many runners race to win, but most simply want to improve, to set a personal record. Some may, in fact, enter a race just for fun and for a T-shirt—that’s fine. Usually, however, runners want to run strong and finish well. Besides the obvious physical preparation, this will mean running a smart race, which means knowing when to run faster.
We’ve already discussed warming up (stretching and getting ready to run) and running at the pace that is right for us. This involves starting slow (allowing the body to adjust to the run). But the next portion of the race should be where we pick up the pace. In a marathon, this would be miles six through fifteen. This doesn’t mean sprinting—we still have a long way to go—but significantly bumping up our speed. We want to get into a groove and move along. We want to do our best.
The Bible has an interesting verse tucked into Ephesians. Speaking to servants, Paul writes, “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Ephesians 6:7).
Usually this verse is applied to how Christians perform their jobs, their secular employment. Instead of simply working to make a paycheck or to please an employer, we should work as if God is our boss.
He is.
And notice the first part of the verse: “Work with enthusiasm.” This means working hard and doing our best. Paul is saying, in effect, “You have an audience of one.” James seems to echo that thought when he talks about asking God for wisdom: “When you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).
No divided loyalties—live (and run) for God alone.
The Runner
Jim Elliot had several hobbies as a boy and loved sledding down the mountain near his home (an extreme sport of that day). In high school, he played football and participated in many other activities. After high school, Jim enrolled at Wheaton College in Illinois, where he competed on the wrestling team. Jim was known as someone who threw himself into whatever he did—studies, relationships, sports, and his faith.
In 1948, Jim felt called to minister in South America. After college graduation, he worked to make that dream a reality and eventually moved to Ecuador with his wife and four other missionary couples. Jim took the same enthusiastic and aggressive approach to his mission work, and the five men endeavored to reach a violent Indian tribe in the interior of that country.
The work seemed to be going well; they were building trust with the Indians. But suddenly, on January 8, 1956, the airwaves were filled with news that all five men had been murdered by the people they had been trying to reach. Most couldn’t understand the dedication and drive of these young men and the “waste” of their lives.
Years earlier, Jim had determined to go wherever God would lead him, to share the gospel, no matter what the cost. In his journal he had written, “Consume my life, my God, for it is [yours]. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.” Jim knew the one for whom he was living, and nothing else mattered. His life was short but full as he ran for Christ.
The Race
Because we are living for our audience of one, like Jim Elliot we should work hard and with enthusiasm—that is, we should pick up the pace, increase our speed. Some do as little as possible, just enough to get by in school, on the job, in relationships, even in church. That would be like a runner entering a “race” and then simply running at a slow jog from start to finish. And sadly, some people live that way (even some Christians), simply coasting through life, playing it safe.
Picking up the pace means loving our families (home), doing our jobs well and doing more than we’re asked (work), serving our neighbors and needy people we know (community), volunteering and using our spiritual gifts (church), and praying for and financially supporting believers and ministries in other countries (world).
And it means doing all this with joy, regardless of how others respond.
The Result
God doesn’t expect you to “win” or to do better than anyone else. He just wants your best in every arena, for you to push for a personal record. And that’s because you’re running “for the Lord rather than for people.” Jim Elliot also said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
So what’s holding you back? Now is the time in your race to increase your speed.
My Story
I’ve never considered myself to be a “runner,” even though at this point I’ve been running for more than half of my adult life. When I began running at the urging of a good friend (mostly to keep my weight down when my metabolism slowed), we were in northern Wisconsin in July and running on a paved road. We would run between two telephone poles and then walk between the next two, and so on—not too tough and not too long. Eventually my running workout increased to a mile. But I never enjoyed it; at that time, running was simply a means to an end.
Then my wife, daughter, and I moved from the Chicago suburbs to the New Orleans area, where I was able to continue running outside. That spring, a friend suggested running in a 5K race in our town. Hmmm—3.1 miles was a stretch for me, but I agreed and began running with that friend. He would usually leave me in the dust or slow his pace to run with me. In either case, he never seemed very tired after our runs, while I was gasping for breath. But I felt stronger each time out.
On race day, we walked to the start and made plans to meet afterward, assuming that my friend would finish way ahead of me. At the starting gun, we took off and ran together in the middle of the pack. I had decided to let him go on when he wanted and to run at my own pace—I wouldn’t try to keep up. But we were still together at the end of the first mile, and surprisingly, I was feeling good. So I increased my speed. At about that time, I lost track of my running partner, but I continued on at the faster pace. I actually had enough energy at the end to sprint (if my speed could be called a “sprint”) to the finish. Cooling down, I looked for my friend among the couple hundred runners. Eventually we connected and discovered that I had finished well ahead of him. My “runner” friend was shocked at my success and kept shaking his head, wondering how that could have happened.
It’s a mystery to me, too. But that race taught me several valuable lessons . . . about running my own race at my own pace, about running smart—starting slow and picking up the pace—and about doing my best and letting the results take care of themselves. I remembered those lessons in future races, especially marathons. Now if I would only apply them to life . . .
Dave
Think It Through
1. What is your normal running pace (minutes/mile)? What do you do to pick up the pace (exert more energy, lengthen your stride, etc.)?
2. In which areas of life do you tend to coast, doing just enough to get by? Why?
3. How would your life change if you lived as if God were your audience and your coach, watching every step?
4. What are a few ways that you can pick up the pace spiritually?
On Running
How does imagery help me when I’m running?
Imagery is simply the mental rehearsal of a performance or practice prior to participation in the activity, creating an experience in your mind. Imagery with running will help you prepare your body for a practice or race. Imagining that you are engaging in running actually causes a small reaction in your imagery-used muscles. Imagery also acts as a mental blueprint, helping you plan what you should do when running. And this practice can increase your confidence and concentration. Overall, imagery can help you build confidence, practice your running form, improve your concentration, and control your emotional responses.
