Memorial Day, I ran my fourth ever race. Here's what I learned – I'm terrible at races. I took a month of great training runs, of shaving seconds off my time and translated that into my worst 5K time yet. It's tempting to blame the heat. (It was about 20-25 degrees warmer than training temps.) Or the hill. (The half mile between 1.5 and 2. Ugh.) Or the crowded race field. (I'm used to running alone.)
I was frustrated enough that I considered scrapping plans for a series of races – a 10K, 15K and half marathon – this fall. Especially after my husband conquered his first triathlon two days before the Memorial Day race, then sailed through the 5K. I might be competitive.
But here's what concerns me more. I'm the same way in my Christian life. I'm great at training – at studying my Bible every morning, attending church services and so forth. But when it comes to testing those things, to putting theory into practice, I often choke.
So how do I fix this?
I keep training. I'll never run a successful race without good training. And that was the part I did fairly well at. That goes for my walk too. I need to keep up those spiritual disciplines- study, prayer, worship and so on- if I have any hope of running well.
I keep running races. I have to keep putting myself to the test. By the end of the month, it's put up or shut up time on those fall races… Spiritually, the same thing applies. I have to allow God to put me in situations where I have to use what I've learned.
I keep striving. Personal bests are never permanent. (Sadly, personal 'worsts' may not be either.) I'll have a breakthrough one of these days as long as I keep putting on my sneakers. As a believer, Hebrews 12 tells me to run with endurance. After all, those folks in chapter 11 did, and look where it got them.
What about you? Are you better at "training", "racing" or both?