run for god - connect magazine - spring 2016
DESCRIPTION
The official publication of Run for God.TRANSCRIPT
connectMAGAZINE
FROM YOURFRIENDS AT
SPRING 2016
WHAT CAN A
FEATHER DO?
REMEMBER THE GOAL
FEAR OR FAITH?
+
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
3RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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
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.
5RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
START SOMETHING TODAY.RUNFORGOD.COM
IT ALL STARTED WITH A
SHIRT.
RUNFORGOD.COM6 SPRING 2016
DIRECTOR DAVE CHRISTIANO
7RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
The inspirational drama about a girls cross country team.
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
9RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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
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.
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
THANK YOU TO OUR
SPONSORS:
RUNFORGOD.COM12 SPRING 2016
s ometimesDean’ s Thoughts
13RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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
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.
15RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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.
RUNFORGOD.COM16 SPRING 2016
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
17RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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.”
“
RUNFORGOD.COM18 SPRING 2016
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.”
“
19RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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
RUNFORGOD.COM20 SPRING 2016
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
21RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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”.
RUNFORGOD.COM22 SPRING 2016
23RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
FEAR or
FAITH?
SSTICKYNOTES
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
JOHN 1:5
RUNFORGOD.COM24 SPRING 2016
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
25RUNFORGOD.COM SPRING 2016
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.
STOPtheMUSIC
PRESSING PAUSE for recovery
Dean’ s Thoughts
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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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.
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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.
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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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