Running Unhindered

Runners tend to be a competitive lot. They want to outrun their friends, outrun their training partners, outrun their adversaries, and hopefully set PRs, or personal records, i.e., the fastest times ever for themselves at a particular distance. As I prepare for my 21^st marathon in a couple of weeks, I recognize that my PR days for the 26.2 mile distance (actually, 26.21875 miles, but who's counting?) are essentially over, as I am gradually getting slower with age, and that it takes many hours of training each week simply to maintain my current level of fitness. However, I continue to seek every possible advantage on race day to hopefully shave a few minutes or seconds off my time. I try to stay well hydrated during the days leading up to the race, watch what I eat, try my best not to get sick by washing my hands extra diligently, and get extra sleep. Most of all, I try to run as light as possible.

Studies have shown that most people will run noticeably faster if they lose excess weight, at least up to a certain point. If you don't believe this, try and run around the block with a couple of 10-pound dumbbells in your hands, and you will definitely not run as fast. I am about 5 ft 7 inches in height, and I normally will try to wake up on race morning weighing in at about 135 pounds, fully hydrated and carbo-loaded. This is my ideal racing weight based on experience, since excess weight will slow me down, and any further weight loss likely will mean that I am dehydrated and/or depleted.

Not only do I avoid carrying excess weight inside my love handles, I also try to carry as little weight as possible on me during races. I wear a quick-drying, lightweight polyester singlet (kind of like a tank top), the shortest, thinnest pair of shorts that doesn't get me arrested for lewdness, no-show socks, the lightest pair of running shoes that I can wear without causing injury, and my car key. I may not be fast, but I at least try to look the part. On the other hand, you can always spot the back-of-the-pack participants who plan to walk their 26.2 miles. They dress in layers, carry large bottles of sports drinks, pin several packages of energy gels and bars to their waists, are armed with cell phones and cameras, and are busy eating bananas and bagels to fortify themselves for the journey. Many carry backpacks. It is hard to be fast while collapsing under all that weight.

Similarly, our spiritual journey is often compared to a race, and in our pursuit of God's plans for our lives, we often weigh ourselves down with cares that hinder us. These may be material possessions (a larger house equals a bigger mortgage payment), misdirected passions (as an extreme example, there is a man whose sole purpose in life is to visit every Starbucks Coffee store), anxieties (oh, no, the Dodgers missed the playoffs), and fear. Each of us carry unnecessary burdens, and will feel relief by casting away some of these cares. In my case, I have discovered that this journey through life has become considerably less hectic after I intentionally neglect to check Facebook updates, receive live e-mail inbox notifications, follow up-to-the-minute stock market reports, and keep up with all the celebrities who are in drug rehab, and I only bother to check up on my beloved UCLA Bruins football team AFTER the games (they are playing lowly Washington State as I am typing this...if the Bruins lose I'll having something else to write about). The resulting freedom is quite liberating.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)