Spiritual Lessons Learned Running My First Marathon
By Greg Johnson
November 12, 2006
www.LovingGodFellwship.org
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
On Sunday, November 5, 2006, I finished my first marathon – The 3rd Annual Marshall University Marathon in Huntington, West Virginia. In training and running the marathon, I learned some spiritual lessons that I want to share.
Throughout my 16 weeks of rigid training, I was constantly reminded of what the Apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth. He said (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV) "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. {25} Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. {26} Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. {27} No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
In this passage, the Apostle Paul is not talking about salvation. In Ephesians 2:8-9, he clearly states that salvation is by the grace of God and not by the works of the individual. Here he is talking to the church at Corinth about Christian service; serving God and others. God’s Word clearly shows us that a person is not saved by serving God and others. No, a person will serve God and others because they are saved. Please know that the Apostle Paul here is not afraid of losing his salvation. He is afraid of losing his reward for faithful and sacrificial service to God and to others.
By finishing my marathon, I won a prize. The prize I won was a medal place around my neck. This prize is temporary and will not last for eternity. For the Christian, there is a prize awaiting them when they cross the finish line of life. It’s a permanent prize that will last for eternity. It is based on their Christian service; their service to God and others here on earth. Each of us is running this marathon called life. Successful completion to receive an eternal reward is dependent on proper training, nutrition and self discipline.
PROPER TRAINING, NUTRITION AND SELF DISCIPLINE.
I’ve been running for 18 months. When I first started, I was so out of shape that I could not run one mile without stopping several times. Day by day I kept putting one foot in front of the other and before long I could do a mile without stopping. I built on that until I could run three miles without stopping. Than I was able to run 5 miles, 7 miles and 9 miles without stopping. I got to where I could run 10 miles without stopping and I started training for my first marathon. Over 16 weeks I gradually built up my mileage and completed long runs of 16 miles, 18 miles and 20 miles. The last three weeks of my training, I tapered off my mileage to give my body time to heal prior to doing the 26.2 miles the day of the marathon. What was I trying to accomplish with this training? I was building up my endurance and my body was gradually adapting. I was training my body for the long haul.
Not only did I have to train my body for endurance, but I also had to fuel my body properly. I had to change the way I ate so that my muscles would heal and rebound between runs and also store energy before runs so that they would function properly and not cramp. This meant decreasing fatty foods, increasing complex carbohydrates and drinking lots of water. I started eating less red meat and junk food and more vitamin rich, high fiber vegetables, fruits and grains.
My body went through withdraws. You see, I was addicted to an unhealthy lifestyle of fatty foods and little or no exercise. My body went into a state of shock and continually tried to go back to living the easy life of eating anything it wanted and minimizing movement. To break out of this took self discipline. I had to make a choice. Am I going to let my body control me or am I going to control my body. I disciplined myself and brought my body under subjection. I had to do this daily until my body started liking the new way better than the old way.
Beloved, success on our Christian walk will take proper training, nutrition and self-discipline. Our training partner is Jesus Christ. We follow Him on our journey. We minister as He ministered. We fulfill the Great Commandment that He gives us in loving God and people (Matthew 22:36-39). We faithfully serve Him and others.
Our nourishment is God’s Word and prayer. God’s Word strengthens and sustains us throughout our journey. Prayer is where we refuel and receive the supernatural power and healing that we need to continue.
The self-discipline that we need in our service to God and others is given to us by the Spirit of God that resides within us. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
STRATEGIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL FINISH.
You want to finish your race and receive your prize. There are heavenly rewards that will be given for faithful service and sacrifice on our journey. Let me give you four strategies for a successful finish that became obvious to me in the marathon I ran.
1. PACE YOURSELF.
In running a marathon, pace is so important. At the starting line, you are all charged up and ready to go. Adrenalin is flowing and the natural tendency is to go all out and give it everything you have. You have to practice constraint and pace yourself for the long haul.
Going into the marathon, I knew what pace I needed to do in order to finish. I started out with that pace even though I could have done a faster pace at the start. Going slow at the start and taking my time, paid off at the end. In the last six miles, I passed many people that were walking and some limping. They did not pace their self. They started out too fast and didn’t have it in them to finish at the end.
Beloved, we are in this for the long haul. We don’t want anything to cut our mission off short. We want to accomplish everything that we have been placed on this earth to accomplish. We want to make a difference in our day by helping others. To do so, we must pace our selves. We want to impact the world, but we must do it one person at a time. As we help one person at a time, we will make a difference in our day and we won’t fizzle out at the end.
2. GET RID OF ANYTHING THAT HINDERS.
At mile 16, I got a rock in my shoe. I tried to ignore it, but it started in my heel and worked its way to the bottom of my foot. I had a decision to make. If I stop to take my shoe off and get rid of the rock, I lose time. If I keep running with the rock in my shoe, my foot would become raw by the time I finish and it may stop me from finishing. I stopped, took my show off and got rid of the rock. It cost me some time, but I finished the race.
In our journey, there will be many hindrances that will endanger our finish. We will have decisions to make. Decide to get rid of anything that will hinder your mission. You may be struggling with a hindrance right now; something that will keep you from fulfilling your mission in life. Get rid of it. Finish the race.
3. WATCH OUT FOR WRONG TURNS.
Around mile 22, I took a wrong turn and by the time I figured out that I was going down the wrong path, I added two tenths of a mile onto my distance. Now two tenths does not seem much, but after you have run 22 miles, believe me, two tenths is a lot. When I reached mile 26.2 and should have been done, I wasn’t. I had to press on because I added extra distance on to my marathon.
In life there are many opportunities to take wrong turns. If we take those turns, it will add distance to our journey and increase our struggle to finish. Be cautious. Stay on the path that Jesus has set for you. Jesus is The Only Way to the finish line.
4. STAY FOCUSED.
On my last 20 mile run in my training program, I injured the IT band in my right leg. The IT band runs down the outside of the leg from the hip past the knee. Where it rubs on the knee, it gets inflamed. It’s a common injury in runners as distance increases. During my three weeks of taper leading into the marathon, I nursed my right knee through rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E. method). Five miles into the marathon, my right knee started hurting and became almost unbearable. I had to stay focused and run through the pain to finish. When the pain would intensify, I would focus on the purpose of the marathon I was running. I was running it in honor of my dad, Elmer Johnson and in memory of my friend, Cat Cavazos. I was running it to raise funds for the American Heart Association to help others prevent and reverse heart disease. As I focused on the purpose and as I prayed a lot, I was able to press through the pain all the way to the finish line.
On our Christian walk, there will be pain and suffering along the way. To endure, we must stay focused on the purpose of our walk. Our purpose is to continue the ministry of Jesus. Our purpose is to love God and to love people. To stay focused, we must fix our eyes on Jesus. Jesus will get us across the finish line. (Hebrews 12:2 NIV) "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
I can’t adequately describe to you the feeling of crossing the finish line. My family was there waiting for me. They cheered me on as I entered the football stadium to run the last 200 yards to the finish. As I crossed the finish line I was able to hug family and give my body much needed rest. It felt so good when they placed the medal around my neck. I had finished the race and received the prize.
Beloved, run the race to receive the prize. Your reward for Christian service is great. Pace yourself for the long haul. Get rid of anything that hinders. Watch out for wrong turns. Stay focused on Jesus. Finish the race. Receive the prize.
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