Mother of Mercy!! hahaha! I tell you what...That 5:00 a.m. wake-up call this morning was definitely not something my legs were happy about. haha! After a FANTASTIC vacation back home with the family--one that included many lazy mornings of relaxed cups of coffee and 10 a.m. runs--my body was NOT ready for the return to the everyday routine. I'm currently sitting here on my lunch break with my, um, fourth cup of coffee for the day. haha! :) Hey, you do what you gotta do, right? :) At least it tastes good. :)
With the change in wake-up time, my 8-mile run this morning wasn't easy. Endurance-wise it felt totally fine, but it was one in which I felt like I was running with sandbags for legs. They just did NOT want to move. But about 2/3 of the way through, they finally got the picture and warmed up to the normal pace. It wasn't in time enough to get a stellar average pace, but that will come.
At least the weather was nice. It was pretty frigid, but there was very little wind. No complaints there!
Tell ya what, though. It feels good to be training again! It's fun to do runs like this morning when there's a goal in mind. But I can definitely feel a difference in my mentality toward it. I want to do well, but I don't care as much whether or not I actually do. I know that the Lord doesn't care what happens as far as results. His love and acceptance are offered regardless. Now, does He have a plan for me in whatever happens? For sure! It's just that the finish time isn't in any way an indication of how much He loves me. Or, how much I love Him.
I'm finding that out slowly, too. That my performance does NOT equal how much I love Him. We get so caught up in doing things with "excellence" that we sometimes think that if things don't turn out as "excellent" as we planned, that we didn't do as well as we could for God. That we didn't prove our love for Him. That we didn't do our task with enough excellence. That's just bologna. It's a flat-out lie from Satan.
God is not performance-oriented. He is grace-based. He died for us and offers us the FREE gift of His love regardless of whether or not we are high-powered, worldy successful achievers or laid-back, 9-to-5ers. All that matters is that we're living in His will and seeking to be who He wants us to be. That we're living out the love of His Son. That we're loving Him and others. That we're engaging in relationship with Him. It's such a beautiful thing. :) When we're aware of that, we are free to do everything with the understanding that we're loved and accepted by our heavenly Father who will use whatever results transpire for His good purpose.
What that means is that I can run the best that I can and do the training with excellence and then relax in the knowledge that God is pleased. Whether that excellence turns out to be an 8-minute mile or a sub-7, as long as I'm running in the strength He's given me, I'm good to go. :) Hallelujah!! :) :)
Truth is a wonderful thing. So is grace. :) Now, if I can just operate in this wonderful mindset throughout all 16 weeks...That will be a win. :)
Happy Tuesday, friends!
-Jill
With the change in wake-up time, my 8-mile run this morning wasn't easy. Endurance-wise it felt totally fine, but it was one in which I felt like I was running with sandbags for legs. They just did NOT want to move. But about 2/3 of the way through, they finally got the picture and warmed up to the normal pace. It wasn't in time enough to get a stellar average pace, but that will come.
At least the weather was nice. It was pretty frigid, but there was very little wind. No complaints there!Tell ya what, though. It feels good to be training again! It's fun to do runs like this morning when there's a goal in mind. But I can definitely feel a difference in my mentality toward it. I want to do well, but I don't care as much whether or not I actually do. I know that the Lord doesn't care what happens as far as results. His love and acceptance are offered regardless. Now, does He have a plan for me in whatever happens? For sure! It's just that the finish time isn't in any way an indication of how much He loves me. Or, how much I love Him.
I'm finding that out slowly, too. That my performance does NOT equal how much I love Him. We get so caught up in doing things with "excellence" that we sometimes think that if things don't turn out as "excellent" as we planned, that we didn't do as well as we could for God. That we didn't prove our love for Him. That we didn't do our task with enough excellence. That's just bologna. It's a flat-out lie from Satan.
God is not performance-oriented. He is grace-based. He died for us and offers us the FREE gift of His love regardless of whether or not we are high-powered, worldy successful achievers or laid-back, 9-to-5ers. All that matters is that we're living in His will and seeking to be who He wants us to be. That we're living out the love of His Son. That we're loving Him and others. That we're engaging in relationship with Him. It's such a beautiful thing. :) When we're aware of that, we are free to do everything with the understanding that we're loved and accepted by our heavenly Father who will use whatever results transpire for His good purpose.
What that means is that I can run the best that I can and do the training with excellence and then relax in the knowledge that God is pleased. Whether that excellence turns out to be an 8-minute mile or a sub-7, as long as I'm running in the strength He's given me, I'm good to go. :) Hallelujah!! :) :)
Truth is a wonderful thing. So is grace. :) Now, if I can just operate in this wonderful mindset throughout all 16 weeks...That will be a win. :)
Happy Tuesday, friends!
-Jill
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