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connect MAGAZINE FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT SPRING 2016 WHAT CAN A FEATHER DO? REMEMBER THE GOAL FEAR OR FAITH? +

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The official publication of Run for God.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Run for God - Connect Magazine - Spring 2016

connectMAGAZINE

FROM YOURFRIENDS AT

SPRING 2016

WHAT CAN A

FEATHER DO?

REMEMBER THE GOAL

FEAR OR FAITH?

+

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RUNFORGOD.COM2 SPRING 2016

WELCOME TO

connectHello Run for God Community!I sure hope everyone is as ready for spring as I am. You know it’s been really

great seeing all of the Run for God graduations taking place. It really excites

me to know that souls are being won for the kingdom of God through the sport

of running. But the question is, will you join us? We hear from so many people

that like the idea of having a Run for God class where they live, but don’t feel

equipped to lead it. Make no mistake, God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips

the called!

I sure hope that you will enjoy this issue of Connect as much as we enjoyed

putting it together!

Enjoy!

MitchellHebrews 12:1

James 1:2-4

connect is just

as simple as the

name states.

It’s our way

to connect

with you.”

A WORD FROM MITCHELL

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12. DEAN’S THOUGHTS: Sometimes I’m Hard Headed

23. Sticky Notes

21. Behind the Scenes

26. DEAN’S THOUGHTS: Stop the Music

DEPARTMENTSfeatures

12721

6 Remember the Goal AN INSPIRATIONAL DRAMA

16 Instructor Spotlight: WHAT CAN A FEATHER DO?

23

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RUNFORGOD.COM4 SPRING 2016

Copyright © 2016 Run for God, LLC. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any other form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Run for God, LLC.

Printed in the United States of AmericaDalton, Georgia

If you require medical, fitness, or nutritional advice, you must contact your own health care professional. You should seek the advice of a doctor before starting any exercise routine.

This publication may contain information relating to various medical conditions and their treatment and an exercise/nutrition protocol. Such information is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice of a physician or health care professional. You should not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or injury.

To make informed health care decisions, you should always consult your physician for your personal medical needs. Neither Run for God nor its agents, affiliates, partners, or licensors are providing these materials to you for the purpose of giving you medical advice.

For any questions about your health and well-being, please consult your physician.

CONTRIBUTORS

LET’S CONNECT

STARTING YOUR DAY WITH A RUN?

Dean Thompson serves as

the National Race Director

for the Run for God Race

Series as well as serving as

an instructor at his home

church in Cohutta, GA. Dean

loves to run, loves life, loves

his wife Debbie and loves

Christ. Look for all of Dean’s

stories in Run for God’s

Devotions.

Pick up your copy of

Run for God DEVOTIONS TODAY!RUNFORGOD.COM

START YOUR RUN WITH GOD

Director Dave Christiano is a

Christian filmmaker and twin

brother of Rich Christiano.

He owns Dave Christiano

Films and ChristianFilms.

com. Several of Christiano’s

films have been released to

theaters.

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5RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016

START SOMETHING TODAY.RUNFORGOD.COM

IT ALL STARTED WITH A

SHIRT.

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RUNFORGOD.COM6 SPRING 2016

DIRECTOR DAVE CHRISTIANO

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7RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016

The inspirational drama about a girls cross country team.

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RUNFORGOD.COM8 SPRING 2016

EVERYBODY NEEDS A PURPOSE IN LIFE” says Director Dave

Christiano, “and one simple verse in the Bible provides the direction

we all need.” Remember The Goal is an inspirational dramatic movie

about a girls cross country team coming to theaters on August 26th.

It follows the story of a new Coach, fresh out of college, who takes over the girls

cross country program at a private Christian school and attempts to lead them to a

state title.

“The Coach has great wisdom for her young age and imparts this to the girls

by covering many situations and issues in the story” says Christiano. “Allee-

Sutton Hethcoat plays the lead role of Coach Courtney Smith-Donnelly,” says

the Director. “She is terrific in this role and a strong role model and leader with

high character. We need more people like her in real life and my hope is that

she will be a positive influence to many.” The theme of the movie is based on 1

Corinthians 10:31: “whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do

all to the glory of God.” That phrase ‘whatsoever ye do’ includes running.

Remember The Goal will speak to many important issues. For example, the

movie is a visual example of the humility and the character of Christ.

CAST MEMBERS OF REMEMBER THE GOAL

(L to R)

Allee-Sutton Hethcoat,

Quinn Alexis, Sydney

Marks, Margaret Tant,

McKensie Miller,

Jayla Palmer

“... whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all

to the glory of God.” 1 Chorinthians 10:31

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It will encourage teens to obey their parents instead of

disobeying them behind their back. The drama will show

you one way to deal with a friend who struggles with the

problem of smoking weed. It will forever solve the self

image problem so many people deal with. It also gives

teens something Christiano feels everyone desperately

needs: a purpose in life.

And lastly, this film could inspire people to want to run!

The movie has a message for adults as well. It will make

parents think about the way they address their children

and what should be a priority in life. Finally, the film has a

word for Coaches. It will make a Coach consider changing

the way they lead their teams, with this particular

principle applying to any sport.

Finally, the movie puts forth training principles that will

make any cross country team better. A common phrase in

the film, 10:31, could change a youth group or sports team.

The entire movie is based on 1 Corinthians 10:31 and that

one verse can be life-changing.

THE MOVIES THEMES

Humility

Respect for authority

Self-esteem

Purpose

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RUNFORGOD.COM10 SPRING 2016

The film is set to open in around 330 theaters across ten southeastern

states from Texas to North Carolina on August 26th when cross country

season rolls around again. Dave Christiano is a former cross country

runner in high school and college, plus he has Coached two high

school cross country teams. He insists he produced his running scenes

accurately and realistically. His passion for the sport ensures this movie

is very authentic. Actresses from Nashville, Tennessee cast as runners,

namely, Quinn Alexis, Jayla Palmer, Sydney Marks, and McKensie Miller,

had to do some training to prepare for their roles. Margaret Tant, the

other actress who rounds out the top five runners on “Orange Hills

Academy”, is an active member on her school’s cross country team.

“I had never run before this film so I definitely had to train!” said 16 year

old Jayla Palmer, cast in the role of “Shelby” as one of the runners. “I

started training about two months before we started filming. I met with

a cross country coach and she gave me some tips, and then I ran at home

with my brothers.”

“I met the director, Dave Christiano, not long after being cast,” said

Quinn Alexis. “At our initial meeting, Dave gave me instructions on how

RACE WITH US AND THE CAST OF REMEMBER THE GOAL AT THIS YEAR’S

GET REGISTERED ATRUNFORGOD.COM

at Historic Prater’s Mill in Dalton, GA500 Prater Mill Rd NE, Dalton, GA

4.16 .16

The film is set to open in around 330 theaters

across ten southeastern states from Texas to North

Carolina on August 26th when cross country season rolls around.

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11RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016

to train. Because I wasn’t a runner prior to this film, I

started with a five minute jog and built up to 20 minutes

and then 30 minutes nonstop.” Sydney Marks was also a

non-runner. “I started walking for five minutes and then

jogging ten minutes around my street.” Christiano says

the five actresses actually could be a pretty decent cross

country team if they kept at it. They all became quite good

and are very believable in their roles as runners.

“I didn’t know much about cross country before I was

cast in Remember The Goal,” said Jayla, “but now I

have a lot of respect for cross country runners.” Quinn

adds, “I think cross country is a beautiful sport because

it combines the individual beat-your-own-best mindset

with a united team effort.”

Some good results came about for the girls who were

involved in this film. “The girls and I have formed such a

strong bond. They are some of my best friends,” said Sydney.

Margaret added, “The cast and crew were so fun to work

with and the girls and I are best friends now.” Cross

country is a lot like life and Remember The Goal will relate

the two together. You can watch the official trailer for

Remember The Goal at FiveAndTwoPictures.com or the

movie’s Facebook page.

For more information about becoming a sponsor contact Dean Thompson at

[email protected]

THANK YOU TO OUR

SPONSORS:

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RUNFORGOD.COM12 SPRING 2016

s ometimesDean’ s Thoughts

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MY PLAN WAS TO RUN AT a pace a little faster than

what I thought I could average, as long as I could, and

hope to keep it at a good pace the rest of the way.

This would put my finishing time in a window that

would make me feel better about hitting my running

goal in the upcoming Ironman 70.3. If I could finish

in that range, I would celebrate and look forward to a

successful half marathon split in the Ironman.

I found out I was a little behind where I had hoped

I would be and, by mile nine, was feeling sorry

for myself to ensure I maximized my misery level.

Thinking back to the start, I felt good for the first half

mile or so until I looked down, expecting to be running

too fast, and my GPS said I was actually running a little

too slow. Uh oh, this didn’t look good. To make matters

Since I was training in February for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga in May, I thought it would be a

good idea to test my fitness level by running (enduring?) the Scenic City Half Marathon. I went

into the race below peak fitness, but I was hoping for a good showing anyway.

worse, a girl less than half my age

was ahead of me. Although I had been

beaten by female runners many times,

the only local female who had ever

beaten me was Lanni Marchant, who

holds the Canadian national record for

the marathon. God was getting ready

to teach me a lesson about humility.

As the race unfolded, I heard the

young girl’s footsteps fade behind

me, until they disappeared entirely

by mile three. I hung onto my goal

pace for four miles and faltered a bit

on the fifth. At six miles, I was already

close to that slower acceptable pace

s ometimesI’M HARD HEADED

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RUNFORGOD.COM14 SPRING 2016

I had planned, and I felt like I weighed about seven pounds too much, which

I did. I had stepped on the scale early in the morning and found that I had

located and secured an extra seven pounds just in time for race day. By seven

miles, I was at an average pace that would be good if I could finish the way I

had planned. I fixed my eyes on the path ahead and my mind on my plan.

After I ran the same pace for mile eight, the wheels came off. Mile nine had us

trekking across ice covered bridges, around sharp turns and up hills, a deadly

combination. My left leg cramped while going uphill and I knew it was all over.

I ran forty seconds too slow for that mile, but a strange thing happened as I

completed mile nine, when I seemed to get my legs back. Tired and heavy legs

filled with molasses, but legs that worked, at least. I knew the girl had to be

closing the gap by now, and a quick glance back as I passed the ten mile mark

and rounded a corner confirmed my fear. She was about twenty seconds back.

I had a newfound determination. I may not be able to hit my goal, but I could

fight for fourth place. It looked to be a classic battle between an almost fifty

year old man and a hundred pound, 20 year old girl. At least she had given me a

head start.

The last 5K was a grind, but I managed to keep a fair pace, which was not bad,

considering the shape I was in not long before. She managed a little quicker

pace but, fortunately for me, I was able to hold her off by nine seconds. She had

given me too big of a head start, but at least she was respecting her elder. I

missed my goal by more than a minute.

I crossed the finish line and that’s when God hatched His plan to teach me

a lesson about humility. Although I had run what I considered a poor race, I

turned to shake hands with her and tell her she ran a good race. I found out she

held conference records on the track at UTC. She was a fantastic runner who

had just run the longest race of her

life. I would find out later that she was

chasing me as hard as I was trying

not to be caught. I turned to her as

we walked away from the finish line

and told her I was glad she was there,

because if she had not been there, I

may still be out on the race course!

She laughed and a friend of mine

called to me.

I walked over to my friend and she

told me I had run a good race. That is

not what I wanted to hear after what

I calculated to be a poor performance.

I looked at my watch and said, “Yeah,

that’s not what I was looking for.”

God said, “No, that’s not the right

way to say it. Just say, ‘Thank you.’”

No one has ever needed to be tough

on me, because I can beat myself up

better than anyone else can. I know

where all the vulnerable spots are and

I exploit them. Being positive after a

bad race is not in my human nature

(read sinful nature), but I knew God

was telling me that I didn’t need to

rely on my human nature. I need to

rely on His nature and His grace.

I walked away from her, disappointed

in myself, and promptly ran into

someone else I know who was telling

me what a good job I had done. Since I

had just been taught a lesson by God,

surely I would respond differently,

right? Not so much. I replied with

more self-absorbed, self-pity as I

explained that I had just begun riding

my bike again and that must be why I

I crossed the finish line and that’s

when God hatched His plan to teach

me a lesson about humility.

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performed so poorly today. God was trying to work on me,

but I was having none of it.

But He is such a patient God. After going through the same

conversation for a third time, I grabbed a banana, went to

the car, put on my training shoes, ate the banana and left

my car to go for a cool down run. I felt like an idiot because

I realized that, not only was I bummed about a bad race

but, more importantly, I had let God down in my human

interactions since my finish. He wasn’t looking for a cocky,

excuse-making, poor sport. He was looking for someone

who would shine His light, and I was dimming it!

On my cool down jog, I felt terrible on both counts, but

God wasn’t finished with me. As I was running down

the sidewalk surrounding Finley Stadium, a young guy

stopped me. It’s odd for someone to stop a guy as he is

running, but I felt compelled to stop. I didn’t know who he

was. He didn’t even look familiar, but he talked to me as if

he knew I wanted to hear what he had to say. He asked me

how my race went, I responded with just the facts and no

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

For more information about becoming a sponsor contact Dean Thompson at [email protected]

excuses this time. Then I asked him about his race and we

talked about how he had just run a PR and he was really

proud of his race. I immediately snapped out of my funk.

He had just run much slower than I, but was elated at the

result. God had sent me someone to “gently” tell me that I

should be thankful for the ability that He gave me. We had

a great discussion about his accomplishment.

We can get so hung up on our own desires that we miss

the blessings He is trying to share with us. Sometimes

we notice and we are convicted. Other times, we don’t

even realize that we missed it. But, I’m thankful for a God

who loves us so much that He has the patience to endure

our petulance even though we don’t deserve it. In this

case, He gave me four tries to get it right. The joy in that

young fellow’s eyes made me forget my own “problems.”

It makes me think about Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to

entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly

entertained angels.” Was that young man an angel? I don’t

know, but I’ve not seen him since then.

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What Can a Feather Do?

Molly Wade has a feather in her hair.

Typically, having plumage in your hair isn’t

a particularly intriguing phenomenon.

Unless it’s Molly’s feather, that is!

Instructor Spotlight

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every sentence she speaks, you can

feel the passion she has for people

and the need to do all she can to

have a positive impact on all who are

fortunate enough to meet her. She’s

not big in stature, but her heart is

as big as the stone rolled away from

Jesus’ temporary resting place two

thousand years ago.

You can hear it when she talks about

Phyllis Woods. Phyllis took on the 5K

Challenge as something far outside

her comfort zone. She had just lost

her mother, so she was struggling

with much more than the discomfort

of running. She was not fast. As a

matter of fact, the idea of finishing

the 5K graduation race last was a

The entire state of New Hampshire was abuzz this winter

just before she revealed the color of this year’s plume.

Well, maybe it wasn’t the entire state, but I think it was on par with the

presidential primary hubbub. The question on everyone’s mind was: “What

color will the feather be this year?” Thousands of votes were cast (okay,

maybe hundreds) to guess the hue of the feather that Molly will wear in her

hair all year long. The imaginative revealing, achieved through a self-written

poem, showed that the names of all who voted “gold” this year would

be tossed into a drawing for a cool prize. It also disclosed the color of the

upcoming Run for God class t-shirt color.

The idea for the feather came, somewhat, by accident. Molly, as you will

no doubt discover, is an exceptionally creative person. She wanted to do

something that would remind her to continuously pray for her Run for

God class participants each day, particularly those who were struggling.

If she wore something in her hair, she thought, each time she looked in a

mirror at home, gazed through her rearview mirror in her car, or just saw

her reflection in a window, it would remind her of her class and she would

offer up a prayer. As people inquired about the feather, it was one more

opportunity for a quick prayer. She chose a blue feather, since the shirt color

her class was wearing was blue, and the two have been connected ever

since. It was a much more impactful decision than she could have imagined

from the start. She wears the feather for an entire year so that she keeps her

friends, also known as class members, in her prayers even after the class

ends. After all, the struggle doesn’t end at the graduation race. Quite the

contrary for so many. How cool is that idea?

The creative side of Molly Wade goes on forever, but the compassionate side

shines even brighter! She is from St. Paul, Minnesota and lives in Madbury,

New Hampshire, so her accent is delightful to a southern fellow like me. With

Molly sees the world pushing God further and further out of the spotlight and she recognizes the need to be creative in reaching others.”

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real fear for her and she worried about it frequently.

Of course, Molly patiently explained to her that she

wouldn’t finish last because of her tradition to always

run with her last runner and she would be behind

Phyllis anyway. Besides, what she was accomplishing

was much more important than placement. She ran that

5K chanting phrases like, “I’m giving it to Jesus!” and

“God is helping me with this!” As it turns out, there

were other “regular” runners (as she likes to refer to

them) behind her, so she wouldn’t have finished

last anyway!

As God often does, He wasn’t through using Phyllis after

her triumphant run. She went through some personal

misfortunes, not the least of which was losing her

home to a fire. When she came back to the group, her

testimony was stronger than ever! God now uses her to

encourage others.

So often, God takes the things we do in obedience to

Him and multiplies them. Because Molly was faithful

to encourage others with her exuberant personality, He

now uses those whom she has built up!

Molly is a fast runner, too. She is running the Boston

Marathon this year, which would be enough to be

excited about for most runners, but not for Molly.

Through her Boston experience, she is raising money on

behalf of Camp Shriver, a month-long summer camp for

both abled and disabled children. Another passionate

endeavor, the camp seeks to explore the endless and

unique possibilities for disabled children and the

relationships they develop through interaction with

others. In addition, the other kids see the world through

the lens of their disabled friends. The stories coming

from this camp are inspiring and there’s Molly right in

the middle of them!

Molly likes to see the

magnitude of what

people can do when we

take the time to meet

people where they are.”

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Molly likes to see the magnitude of what people can do

when we take the time to meet people where they are.

You don’t have to be an athlete to participate in a Run

for God class. We can meet them where they are and,

with God’s help, can take them across a finish line they

never dreamed they could see. When a child has low

self-esteem because they feel different from everyone

else, we can meet them where they are and let them

know that we are all born imperfect, their’s are just

more evident than other’s. It doesn’t matter if someone

is four or eighty-four, we can meet them where they are,

and Molly is constantly searching for those places!

Molly sees the world pushing God further and further out

of the spotlight and she recognizes the need to be creative

in reaching others. This year, for her Run for God class, she

will include all three disciplines of triathlon. It’s one more

way she reaches further out to include those who may

find running off-putting. The first thought is, “How are

you going to be able to do all of that?” If I have discovered

anything about Molly, it’s that she will find a way.

When you talk to her, you’re inclined to think that she

probably went to school to be an artist, or maybe a

creative writer, but you’d be wrong. Molly is trained as

an attorney and practiced law for a while. She spent

over ten years as a legal editor before moving to New

Hampshire. She is now the Marketing and Public

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THANK YOU TO OUR

SPONSORS:

Relations Strategist for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover.

Her husband is an airline pilot and she has four precious gems, also

known as children.

God often has plans to use us in ways we may not imagine. God is

using Molly in a way that utilizes her talent. She didn’t go to school

to do what she does, but God does things like that. He used a guy

named Moses who argued with God that he couldn’t be the leader of

a nation, especially one that was in such desperate straits! But He

did, once Moses decided to let go and let God do His thing. Molly has

followed God to an unexpected path in her life and He is using her

to make a mighty difference where He has planted her. What is God

trying to tell you? Are you resisting His urging like Moses did for

so long?

There was a popular axiom over twenty years ago from a frequently

played commercial that asked us to “Be like Mike.” I don’t know

about Mike, but I’d like to be more like Molly!

For more information about becoming a sponsor contact Dean Thompson

at [email protected]

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BEH

IND

TH

E S

CEN

ES

Why Do WeWait?Why do we wait for the last runner to finish before handing out awards?

WE GET THIS QUESTION often, and

we understand that some of you

fast runners may be waiting a while

before getting your award. But here

at Run for God, we have decided

that EVERYONE should experience

that magical finish line experience

no matter what their time may be.

For this reason, we hope that you

will hang around and help us cheer

every runner in, and be inspired by

those who just a short time ago were

saying “I can’t” and are now saying

“I did”.

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FEAR or

FAITH?

SSTICKYNOTES

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

JOHN 1:5

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So back to the original question, is

fear a sin? Absolutely! The Bible says

in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not

given us a spirit of fear, but of power

and of love and of sound mind.” You

may be saying to yourself, “Mitchell,

that doesn’t say that fear is a sin.”

You would be correct, but we must

consider the source! The Bible does

say that God did not give us a spirit

of fear. So if God does not give us

that spirit then who does? There

are only two possible answers here.

Either “the devil” or “I don’t know.”

In either case, it would be wrong

for us to accept the spirit of fear. If

from the devil, then the reason is

obvious. And if you don’t know, then

the reason should also be obvious. Do

you remember when you were a child

and your parents told you not to take

candy from strangers? They told you

this because they didn’t know the

hat are some things that we fear? This is

a question that I recently posed to my Run

for God class and I received many answers.

Just a few of the responses were death, the

unknown, flying, drowning, and so on. Did

you know many studies show that the number one fear in

America is public speaking? I can absolutely relate to that

one! Fear is something that almost all of us can relate to.

Some choose to call it other things like anxiety or stress, but

at the end of the day it’s most always fear.

Recently while preparing for a study, I came across a

question that really got my attention. Would you consider

fear a sin? Strange question right? On the surface, you

would think that the simple answer is no. There is a

gentleman by the name Tom Elliff who visits our church

every few years to speak. When I read this question, I

immediately thought back to a quote Tom made that I

had written down in my Bible. His quote was “Stress

equals Selfishness.” Tom’s point was that anytime we

are stressing over something, we are in effect saying that

whatever we are stressing over is too big for God. We feel

it is something that we can’t turn over to God and that we

must take it on our self.

SSTICKYNOTES

Fear is something that almost all of us can relate to. Some choose to call it other things like anxiety or stress, but at the end of the day it’s most always fear.

W

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source, and when you allow things in your life from which

you do not know the source, bad things can happen.

Moving on. So what does the Bible say about what is a sin.

Romans 14:23 says, “…for whatever is not from faith is sin.”

Whatever IS NOT from faith is sin. This passage of Scripture

brings up another question. Can faith and fear coexist? No.

Faith and fear cannot coexist. One will push the other out,

and which one wins is up to you. We see this in Matthew

when Jesus’ disciples awake him in the boat because they

were afraid of the storm. Jesus responds to them and says

“Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” We see the same

response from Jesus when he asks Peter to get out of the

boat and walk on water. Peter was actually walking on water

when his faith was completely in Jesus, but the moment he

began to doubt and fear, he began to sink. Jesus’ answer

was the same. “O you of little faith, why do you doubt?”

“Faith and fear cannot coexist. One will push the other out,

and which one wins is up to you. “

The Bible illustrates this principle clearly here, and we see it

in our everyday life. In order for fear to set in, faith is pushed

out. But the opposite is also true. When faith takes over, fear

is pushed out. Jesus calls us to live by faith (2 Corinthians

5:7) and the choice to do so is ours.

So we’ve determined that fear is not, I repeat, is not given

to us by God. We’ve established the fact that faith and

fear cannot coexist. And we’ve also seen where the Bible

plainly says that whatever is not from faith is sin. So fear

must be a sin. Faith is the cornerstone of our salvation, and

anything that we do that is done out of fear instead of faith is

unacceptable to God. It is for this reason that you must know

the reason that you came to know Christ. When you came to

know Christ, did you do it out of faith and a sincere desire to

follow Him, or did you do it because you didn’t want to go to

hell? Coming to know Christ out of fear is not true salvation,

it’s when you come to Him in sincere faith and brokenness

over your sin that you’ll truly know salvation.

Fear is something we all struggle with, and it’s a sin we can

all pray about. Let’s all make the decision to push fear out

and let faith take control.

WHEN YOU FEEL FEARFUL, REMEMBER...

1. Reach Up Pray and ask God for the peace of His

Spirit which passes all understanding.

2. Reach Out Call someone who knows how to listen while

you sort things out.

3. Reach In Decide to control only what you can — yourself.

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STOPtheMUSIC

PRESSING PAUSE for recovery

Dean’ s Thoughts

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27RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016

It doesn’t matter if you’ve run 28 marathons or a single 5K, one

thing we all have in common is a need to recover. We’ve all

experienced the dull pain of soreness derived from a session of

intense or prolonged running. It may take a long interval session for some,

while a simple five mile run is more than enough for others. It all depends

on your fitness level.

We’ve all done it, or should I say over-done it. While the soreness brought

on by a marathon is different from the soreness of short intense running,

the things we need to do to recover from each are the same. Of course, if

you’re a beginner, you haven’t had the experience to know how your body

reacts to the soreness, making it more difficult to gauge how much recovery

you need. If you’re not sure how much recovery you need, remember this:

too much recovery will not hurt you. Too little recovery could lead to major

problems and some unanticipated time off from running.

Training

In order to reduce the extent and intensity of your soreness, it is important

to introduce new elements to your training schedule slowly. For example,

insert interval training into your preparation for a race begin it three

months from the race date. If you want to work your way up to running

eight times 400 meters, you should start with something less. Maybe begin

with four 400s, or eight times 200 meters at the same pace you will want to

complete the 400s. You want to ease into any changes to your training that

increases the strain on your body.

When you choose to run hard, make sure that you are warming up and

cooling down. There are numerous studies that show that an adequate

warm up will lead to less injury and less soreness post-workout. You should

never begin running hard right out of the gate. Warming up could mean

simply walking before running if you’re a beginner, or it may mean three

easy miles and some dynamic stretching if you’re a higher mileage runner.

Another consideration is the cool down. Some studies suggest that the cool

down is not important, while others show some benefits. My experience is

that it makes me feel better.

There are some general rules that apply to increasing your mileage. The

most widely known general rule for increasing mileage is the 10% rule.

Never increase your mileage more than 10% from one week to the next. In

addition, if you are increasing your mileage each week for several weeks,

Too much

recovery will

not hurt you. Too

little recovery

could lead to

major problems

and some

unanticipated

time off from

running.

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RUNFORGOD.COM28 SPRING 2016

insert a recovery week into your plan every fourth week. That

recovery week will help your body adapt to the increased

stress level. Decrease your mileage by 10-20% during the

recovery week.

Slow down and take it easy on your easy days. It’s recovery.

If your watch makes you run faster because you’re watching

your pace too closely, turn it off. There is probably no more

important imperative than running easy on your easy days.

I talk to a lot of people who run their daily runs at nearly

the same pace they run their 5K races. If that’s you, you’re

probably running too hard on your easy days. Your easy runs

should be a minute-and-a-half to two minutes slower than

your 5K race pace.

After a race, recovery is even more important than a hard

workout or a long run. A good rule of thumb is one easy/

recovery day for each mile raced. If you ran a 5K, your body

needs three days to get back to normal. If you ran a half

marathon, it will take your body about two weeks to recover

completely. You can run on these days, but make sure those

runs are easy.

After the Run

There are some things you can do after a run that contribute

to a more rapid recovery. Most importantly, get plenty of rest.

When you run, you are producing tiny tears in your muscles

that are repaired while you are sleeping. If you don’t get

enough sleep, the muscle restoration may not be sufficient.

Our goal is to build those running muscles stronger as the

process progresses. If we don’t give it enough time, we will

only break them down more on the next run.

Foam rollers and massagers have become increasingly

popular. As your muscles are rebuilding, blood flow becomes

very important to bring nutrients to the muscle and to take

toxins away. Massaging with foam rollers, stick rollers, balls,

vibration devices, or with a hands-on masseuse will force

blood into and out of the muscle and speed recovery. Many

elite runners perform some type of massage after every run.

THANK YOU TO OUR

SPONSORS:

For more information about becoming a sponsor contact Dean Thompson

at [email protected]

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29RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016

You may know someone who sings the praises of ice baths,

and you may think they’re crazy. Or, maybe you have

tried them yourself. Many runners take regular ice baths,

especially after long runs, to aid in recovery. Some studies

suggest that they don’t work, but there is a lot of subjective

evidence for their effectiveness.

Diet

You can help to jump start the muscle rebuilding process by

eating the right things after your run. The optimal window

to begin the process is within 30 minutes of completing

your run. Aim for around 300 calories or less with a mix of

carbohydrates to protein at a ratio of about 3 to 1. Those

calories can come from food or drink. The importance of these

calories goes up with the intensity and/or duration of your

workout. The harder you work, the more important it is to

start the muscle rebuilding early.

Your overall diet can impact the soreness from running too.

A diet rich in antioxidants and omega 3 will allow your

muscles to fight off the free radical

damage that occurs during running.

The best source for antioxidants is from

fruits and vegetables. For more natural

omega 3s, eat plenty of fish and nuts.

Don’t forget that drinking enough

water is also important to recovery.

When your body is dehydrated, it slows

the recovery process. There are many

studies that attempt to explain how

much we should drink and they do

not all come to the same conclusion.

From a practical standpoint though,

there are two things to understand: 1)

Drink when you’re thirsty, 2) Gain an

understanding of how much you sweat

when you run by weighing yourself

before and after runs. Aim for replacing

about 75% of that weight while you run.

GET YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF

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Page 30: Run for God - Connect Magazine - Spring 2016

There is a lot of speculation about caffeine too. Some say that

it is a diuretic and the amount you drink has to be subtracted

from your overall fluid consumption, while one study by

heat and hydration expert Larry Armstrong, Ph.D., author

of Exertional Heat Illnesses, suggests that caffeine is no

more a diuretic than water. In addition, a 2007 study at the

University of Illinois found that regular coffee drinkers felt

less sore after exercise when they consumed caffeine before

the workout. Like anything else, some caffeine will not hurt

you. However, if caffeinated beverages make up most of your

fluid intake, you should probably cut back.

Active Recovery

There are alternatives to running. For example, swimming is

a great way to keep your cardiovascular system in top shape

without stressing the running muscles. Of course, that allows

the running muscles to recover more quickly. Find an activity

that you enjoy apart from running and you’ll benefit from it.

A Final Thought

When you’re recovering, be careful to consider the feeling

in your legs rather than your level of enthusiasm. We have

a tendency to think we feel better than we do when we’re

working hard to improve. Be smart and always cheat on the

side of more recovery.

The Bible says in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall

not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day

and night, that you may observe to do according to all that

is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you will have good success.” He tells us that we

have to “do according to what is written.” I think we all often

focus on what we should do, but how often do we focus on

“meditating in it day and night?” In order for us to carry out

God’s word, we have to let it strengthen us through study

and listening to Him. When we do that, the next verse,

Joshua 1:9, applies: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong

and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for

the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

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