Monitor Yourself - The Runner's Devotional
Monitor Yourself
At times the monitoring process is proactive rather than reactive. That is, instead of waiting for an irritation to develop or a symptom to appear, we test ourselves to see how we’re doing. It’s much like the annual physical exam where the physician checks pulse, blood pressure, and so forth and orders blood and urine tests. We want to know ourselves better and discover any potential problems.
In running, increasing self-awareness might involve trying a new running routine—pushing ourselves to see how our legs, lungs, and heart will respond. It could include trying new gear to help weather the weather. It may mean asking a coach, personal trainer, or running buddy to analyze our running style and make suggestions for improvements. At times we need to take the initiative to learn more about ourselves.
Often the Bible tells us to test or examine ourselves, to be spiritually proactive. Addressing the exiled people of Judah, Jeremiah wrote:
Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD. (Lamentations 3:37-40)
Centuries later, the apostle Paul challenged the believers in Corinth: “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
The Runner
Joanie sat in church, slumped in her seat until everyone stood for the songs, which she sang halfheartedly. This had not been a good morning. First, she had slept poorly and had greeted the day with a headache. Next, as she was getting dressed, she couldn’t find the sweater she wanted to wear, so she had to change outfits. Then she had spilled milk on her dress at breakfast, causing her to change again. And to top it off, the road seemed to be filled with idiot drivers, and she pulled into the parking lot later than usual and had trouble finding a parking space. But at least she was in church. That ought to count for something, she thought.
During the sermon on Philippians 4:10-13, the pastor made a statement that got Joanie’s attention: “Lack of contentment should be a warning light. If you’re frustrated, irritated, joyless, and upset most of the time, something’s wrong.”
That’s me! Joanie thought. Paul suffered incredible hardships—shipwreck, numerous beatings, imprisonment, and more—yet he was content in Christ. And here I am upset and feeling sorry for myself over a few insignificant irritations.
The Holy Spirit was speaking to Joanie through God’s Word and her pastor . . . and she was paying attention.
The Race
A natural response to this idea of proactive spiritual testing would be “How? What are the warning lights?” Good questions!
We’ve seen that the Holy Spirit provides our internal monitoring system through his convicting work. And we’ve also seen that he speaks to us through Scripture. Putting those two truths together, we find perhaps the best location for spiritual indicators in Galatians 5:22-23. Here Paul describes the positive results, the “fruit” of the Spirit’s work in our lives: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
If the Holy Spirit is supposed to be producing these qualities in us, then the lack of any of these should be an indicator that something isn’t right.
The Result
Think these through, one at a time, asking the appropriate questions:
Love—Do I respond to people, even those who irritate me, with love?
Joy—Do I still feel the joy of my salvation (Psalm 51:8, 12), or have I become gloomy or fearful?
Peace—Do I sense God’s calm in my personal storms?
Patience—Can I wait, or do I have to have everything now?
Kindness—Do I treat others with understanding and respect?
Goodness—Am I trying to do what’s right, even if it costs me?
Faithfulness—Do I keep my promises? Can people count on me?
Gentleness—Am I approachable, or do people keep their distance because of my negative, intimidating attitude?
Self-control—Am I able to keep my emotions in check and not swing to extremes in behavior?
If any of those warning lights are blinking, you should go immediately to your Manufacturer: Admit your problem and ask him to correct you on the inside, giving you new ability and strength to run his race.
My Story
As one who prefers endurance events, I end up enjoying many long workouts in preparation for race day. After most training days, I feel a terrific sense of accomplishment and well-being. On long training days, however, I sometimes find my efforts out of sync with my training needs. I push too hard, lose sight of my goals, and take the day beyond appropriate limits. I find myself overdoing it despite receiving a lot of well-intended advice from training partners, like “build your base” and “pace your training effort.”
So lately, rather than allowing my efforts to rise during long runs or rides, I have taken a different approach: structure, discipline, and distraction. No more random workouts. A good strategy is to have a plan and try new approaches to hydration and nutrition during training. This deliberate switch helps me take the focus off speed and puts me in a much better place after the workout is over. So I experiment with different ways to fuel up, stay hydrated, and take in nutrition. Trying new ideas during training allows me to steer clear of hammering out the miles too fast and regretting it later.
This training approach came in handy during my half-ironman experience in Muncie, Indiana. I felt great on the swim despite the stormy water and made a quick transition to the bike. It rained 95 percent of the bike course, which made me feel deceivingly hydrated and cool. My core body temperature was good, but the trouble was staying adequately hydrated on the bike in preparation for the run. Starting any long run on a hydration deficit is a big mistake. I was able to force myself to consume a slurry of liquid nutrition and fluid electrolytes, which I had learned to do on long training days. During the run, the rain cleared, and the sun’s hot rays pounded me. Learning to consume fluids during training paid off during the run, allowing me to finish healthy. Thank goodness, too, for having training partners who hold me accountable and consistent.
And as I have been told, sometimes less really is more. So on long training days, I back off the speed, save it for another day, remain confident in a more moderate training effort, and try new approaches to endurance essentials like hydration and calories.
What I have come to learn is that it is far more about the journey than the actual event, anyway.
Don R.
Think It Through
1. When has a physical check-up alerted you to a problem or potential issue? What did you have to change (medication, diet, running routine, other)?
2. What other proactive steps have you taken to monitor yourself?
3. As you went through the “spiritual indicators” listed earlier, which warning lights were blinking?
4. What corrective action will you take?
On Running
Why do I have to drink water before and during workouts and races?
A big problem for runners is that often their water intake tends to be a lot less than their water loss. Our bodies don’t produce water; we only conserve water. The amount of water used by an athlete depends on the sport, duration, and environmental conditions (for example, if you sweat a lot, you’ll need more water). All athletes need to rehydrate, even swimmers! So, if you are doing a swim workout, remember to drink plenty of water because the warmer the water, the more you sweat.
