Pace + Purpose || 7.5.24
Friday reflections + recommendations on running, faith, and a deeper way of living.
Running
Reflection - The Hard Reality of Injury
For the first time in a long time, I’m facing an injury that’s made me confront a brutal fact—logging more miles will only make it worse and will delay (or make it impossible) to heal.
I’ve been running on a hip that’s been hurting for some time now, but over the weekend—the pain in my back and hip told me it was time to get to the sidelines for a short bit (Lord willing) so I can jump into training fully healthy in August for fall marathon season.
This, honestly, is extremely hard for me.
I can tell the primary care physician I saw who referred me for an MRI isn’t a runner.
She couldn’t understand how much of an ask she presented by suggesting I stop running for a few weeks.
People who don’t run all the time have a hard time imagining themselves running all the time.
People like us have a hard time imagining life without it.
Well, here I am…taking some weeks to cross-train on low/no impact machines in a gym.
It’s moments like these, though, that we have to face the hard options in response to injury:
Keep running and hurt yourself more or
Reduce/stop running for a season to make way for a long-term future in the sport
Option two stinks right now, but is obviously the right choice when written down like this.
I’m slowly warming up to the idea.
Running in pain isn’t fun.
Looking forward to a future running pain-free sounds great. In order to get there, though, we have to pay the price of an altered/reduced training schedule.
If you’re facing a similar situation (or when you inevitably face one in the future)—join me in paying the price.
A short time away might seem easy for a doctor to request (especially one that doesn’t run), but in reality—it feels like someone is chaining you to a chair.
While we’re sitting here, though, we might as well choose to make the best of a tough situation: get better sleep, try some strength training, get some low-impact cardio in an air conditioned environment, keep up the fitness in the ways we can, etc.
Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
We aren’t exempted from this when we’re injured.
Even as I wish to be out on the roads while stationery on an elliptical, I can still choose the good medicine. We all can.
It will help on the road to healing.
Recommendations
This article on the GOAT Helen Ryvar - Helen is a single mom, owns her own cleaning business, and currently holds the record for most consecutive half-marathons at 743 (as of May). “I’m just an ordinary person doing extraordinary things,” she said. Understatement of the year.
“How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time” from Smithsonian Magazine - It’s Olympics season, and this article takes us wayyyy back to a time when things were completely wheels off. The 1904 Olympic Marathon was insane. If you want to see how far we’ve come in the sport, just take a few minutes to read this article. The subtitle gives a nice hook: “Athletes drank poison, dodged traffic, stole peaches and even hitchhiked during the 24.85-mile race in St. Louis.” This blew my mind.
The CITIUS MAG podcast coverage of the Olympic Trials - No one I’ve found provides a more in-depth and entertaining perspective on the niche world of professional track & field. Chris Chavez and company do a great job explaining what happened during the events, and the recaps are entertaining. The hosts occasionally drop some words you may not want your children hearing, so perhaps keep these episodes in your headphones for inspiration as you log some running time of your own.
Faith
Reflection - Loving Without Irritation Or Resentment
You’ve probably heard 1 Corinthians 13 at many points in your past. It shows up primarily at weddings, but it isn’t even directed at married people.
This passage on love is for all of us as we consider how to best feel, think, and behave toward one another.
Verse 5 says love “does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.”
Not only is love full of selfless actions and selfless feelings, a motivation of love can’t become irritated by other people or resentful toward them.
It isn’t possible to love someone while hating them in your heart or trying to avoid them at all costs.
Who in my life is irritating me right now?
Who do I hold resentment toward today?
Matthew 5:47 says, "And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?"
Put another way—if we’re basing our ability to love on how nice we are to the nice people in our lives, we don’t have a real understanding of a biblical framework for love.
Where can I release irritation toward another and replace it with love?
Where can I surrender the resentment and embrace a biblical perspective on someone in my life?
This is the challenge and the call for us all—love with selflessness and without irritation or resentment.
Recommendations
“Without Love” from Jonathan Ogden - Jonathan Ogden wrote a great song on this passage. Give it a whirl.
A reminder from Hebrews 10:23-25 - “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hold tight to the hope we have in Jesus. Encourage one another. Spend time with people. Anticipate Christ’s return. Amen.
“You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Give” from Amalya Campbell - Great article with a great opening punch—”You haven’t “made it” yet. You don’t command a hefty salary or carry a sizable bank balance. No silver spoons have ever landed in your mouth. Congratulations! You’re in the right place to learn how to give generously.” Nice running mention in here, too.
A Deeper Way of Living
Reflection - Cut The Slack
I spend time worrying about things that don’t matter or that I have no control over.
It’s a dark hobby, but I keep coming back to it nonetheless.
The reminder today?
It doesn’t have to be like this.
Worrying about immaterial things is pointless, and trying to control things we have no control over is a waste of time & energy.
Cut this slack out of your life.
Next time you find yourself ruminating on anything, getting yourself tied up in knots over a thought pattern, situation, etc., ask yourself these two questions:
Am I trying to worry my way into believing something meaningless has oversized importance in my life?
Am I trying to worry my way into controlling a situation that will occur the way that it will even if I never think about it again?
If the answer is yes to either, cut the slack. Let it go.
Recommendations
This quote from Anne Lamott - “Maturity is retaining a modicum of grace when you do not get your own way.” Daanngg.
Another one from James Clear - “Make a mistake? Release the guilt, remember the lesson." Yup. That’ll preach.
One Line a Day Journaling - In June, I started using an idea I learned from this video. In a journal (these are the best), you have a page dedicated to the current month and simply write one line at the end of each day with the highlights from that day. Looking back on June, I could quickly string together the narrative of the month—and it helped me reflect on the highs and lows of the month quickly. I invite you to try it with the rest of July.
On we run (or, for now, rest), together.
Blake
Oh, and one more thing…
Blake, take a look Dr. Kelley Starlet's book, "Becoming a Supple Leopard." Starlet is a physical therapist in the crossfit space who works with athletes. The first third of the book is his approach to treating injury, and the last two-thirds is reference material for mobility and stretching exercises that you can do to help you recover.
Was a game changer for fixing my knees a while back.