Well, friends, I have big news. I am officially withdrawing from the Boston Marathon. :) It was a tough decision, but it was definitely prayed about, and I fully believe it's the Lord's plan.
There's a lot to it, and maybe someday I'll see how all the pieces fit together, but one of the main reasons has to do with what's all going on in my life right now.
I've mentioned that I've been writing a devotion book called "Sharing the Victory: Being Your Best for God." Well, I'm in the middle of crunch-time with that project, and it's taking most of my focus. And, as I've been writing and working, I've been evaluating just how close I am to being MY best for God. Right now, I'm not, and that's the honest truth. There is just too much vying for my attention.
One thing I learned through yesterday's run is just how many little injuries crop up during marathon training. It's just the way it goes for me. And that's totally fine! If I have the mental capacity and time to deal with them. Like last year, marathon training was IT. So, when I got hurt, I actually was able to process those and use the blog to even minister through them.
But this time, I've got way too much going on to be distracted by injuries and the nagging anxiety that comes with them. Whenever I'm hurt, I have to be prepared to engage the enemy on spiritual warfare about training, and right now, I've got spiritual battles of other kinds going on that need my full attention. :) Not that God isn't big enough to handle them all, but this is not a battle I'm called to at the moment. Boston is not my fight this year.
Do I want to return someday? Absolutely! When I have time to throw my entire self into it and do it well, I will run Boston again. (If I'm blessed to qualify again.) But right now, I'm going to focus on being my best for God and not letting myself be pulled in too many directions. I believe He wants me to focus in other areas right now, and marathon training is just not one of them.
So. . . There you have it! :) Four weeks of training was a blast! And I did enjoy the speed work enough to continue that. It doesn't prove too distracting, and my body didn't seem to mind it. In fact, I'll probably still run a half marathon in the spring just for fun, but that won't require extra training.
Friends, thanks for reading! :) I'm sure that I'll keep blogging, it just won't be about Boston 2011. Totally okay. Someday I'll be back. For now, it's time to focus and be my best for God. :)
Ciao! :)
-Jill
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