I read somewhere a couple of weeks ago that one day a week you should extend your run/walk to increase the number of calories you burn. Maybe it was an article about ways to bust a plateau when losing weight I don't know. Anyway, that article got me thinking that maybe I needed to do that not to increase caloric burn but to condition my body to the 3.16 miles that I am committed to in September.
On Monday since Hubby wasn't able to come with me on the walk/run I decided it would be my day to test the waters! Shew!! The waters were rough. I did way more walking than running and a WHOLE LOT OF JUSTIFICATION.
That's when it hit me...Two things
1. It is so important to have a running buddy for encouragement and accountability and 2. Without God your willpower is non-existent.
I found a Joyce Meyer book at B.A.M. the other day for $3.97! That's right, Joyce Meyer for $3.97. I couldn't resist it. The title is "Look Great! Feel Great! 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now" I picked it up and brought it home (after paying of course) and settled in to read it.
Key #1
Let God Do The Heavy Lifting
Basically it went like this...
You start a diet and within a couple of weeks you are off track and cheating left and right. The line that stuck out was this one "We think we are to blame. If only we weren't so weak, if we had more willpower, we'd be incredibly, thin and healthy." or in my case running at a longer distance with a better pace. She then goes on to explain The Truth About Willpower.
We are led to believe that we have enough willpower to fight off every temptation that comes our way. Willpower is our bestfriend when things are going great but the first one to check out when things get weary! Willpower also goes hand in hand with "reason" and "reason" is always opened to be reasoned with. In many cases, "I can eat that piece of pie and then workout twice tomorrow" or "I have ran everyday this week so I can skip today". If we really don't want to do something our mind gives us plenty of reasons not too and my emotions will join right in. Our soul would love to run our lives but the bible says we are to be led by God's spirit. We are never instructed to be led by willpower but we are instructed to be spirit led. Willpower and discipline are important and vital in life but willpower alone will NEVER be enough. Zechariah 4:6 says "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts". We need God to release his power into our willpower to energize us. John 15:5 "Apart from me you can do nothing".... the chapter goes on to say that we should invite God into everything we do and he should always get the glory.
I typed all that to type this...
While on the trail on Monday I knew that I was going to extend my walk/run. I haven't been feeling well lately. My chest has been congested making me kind of wheezy. My nose has been a little stuffy and honestly, RUNNING IS HARD!
So, I am on the trail...5 minute warm up under my belt and I had been running for about 3 minutes I guess and that is when the willpower fizzled out and the reasoning kicked in. All those reasons above...I am going to go extra miles today so I should conserve my energy...I am not breathing at my max capacity today so I should just walk...I will give it all I got on Wednesday when Hubby comes with me cause he pushes me so I should relax today...I even went as far as saying to myself "I should use this time as my God time" and just like that God said to me "Geez Michelle, you really don't wanna run if you will use me as an excuse" LOL He then brought back to my remembrance what Joyce Meyer wrote in the book about willpower and reasoning. WOW!! I was right in the middle of it and do it all the time!!
I have been trying to do this in my own strength this whole time and that isn't possible! I must have the spirit of God to push me through and carry me across that finish line. On the trail that day I asked God for his power to intertwine with my willpower. I accepted that fact that this is something that I cannot do without God.
I would like to say I decreased my pace that day but I didn't. I would like to say it was the best walk/run but it wasnt. My walk/run distance was 3.25 miles in 59:06 minutes. It was hot, my legs hurt, I had a blister almost come up on my left foot that I rebuked for the last 1/2 mile and I complained the entire time but I had a great revelation that day...
"With God all things are possible"...even Michelle becoming a runner!
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