It's a marathon not a sprint

It’s the eve of the London marathon, the day when I feel justified lazing around, drinking lots of water perhaps going for a short walk after lunch. Up to now it’s been extremely challenging fitting in the long runs on a Saturday morning. I remember one such morning in February going out in the dark running along the river between Windsor and Eton with the mist rising off the water wondering what on earth I am trying to achieve. Immediately my mind would take me to race day when if you’ve been able to commit to a good training programme and all has gone well you can find out what you are capable of.  We often say that the biggest challenge is getting to the starting line, because we all know what it takes to get there.  It would be easy to give up drop out in the face of the many challenges, but persistence, perseverance and the desire to stretch ourselves for a cause dear to our hearts all plays a part in the final outcome.  

I met up with an old friend yesterday, and although we have kept in touch by telephone and facebook, we’ve not seen each other since 2004. A lot has happened in that time and as we caught up I realised how reliant human beings are on each other. She is an Oncologist (blood specialist) and I enjoyed exchanging experiences and drew on her wisdom and insight dealing with difficult situations, which we all face from time to time.  One of the things we shared was the need to be open and committed to hold fast to our Christian values especially when the alternative could be to walk away and pretend all is well.

I found it helpful to have the support of other runners, because even though we compete everyone is willing to exchange ideas with an openness that include giving and sharing advice and tips to improve performance. I think it’s quite obvious that anyone unwilling to buy into this level of openness quite quickly fall away. I run for health, fitness, stress relief, and pure enjoyment. When I have a bad day or am really stressed out about something, putting on my running shoes allows me to clear my head and de-stress. I do some of my best thinking and come up with some of my best ideas when I am running.

So tomorrow when we line up for the biggest challenge we will face as runners it’s the mental agility and the ability to believe in ourselves and what we are capable of achieving that will make a difference. For me, running is so much more about the journey rather than the end result, much like the christian journey is a marathon not a sprint. I have learned so much about myself good, bad, and otherwise through training. I’ve realised training is truly the accomplishment because you never know what is going to happen on race day. Which is why the eve of a marathon means so much to me, it’s time for quiet reflection which I find humbling.

 I would say to anyone starting out forget about times, races, gadgets, training plans, or the other “stuff.” First and first most run because you love it and you will find out a lot about yourself that will not just surprise you but strengthen you to achieve much more than you ever thought possible.

A Time to Pray

Last Saturday we saw the Oxford and Cambridge boat race dramatically disrupted when a protester swam across the River Thames. The incident raises security questions ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. After the race was restarted there was fresh chaos when the two crews clashed and one of Oxford's oars snapped off.  The team's desperate efforts to recover caused one of their rowers to collapse as they crossed the finish line. The team’s president blamed the protester for Oxford's defeat, saying in a Twitter message: "My team went through seven months of hell, this was the culmination of our careers and you took it from us."

Just last week at the Reading Half Marathon a race I ran a man died after collapsing at the finish line. Fortunately these are not stories we hear often after any sporting event but the point is none of us know what is around the corner.  How then do we cope with the uncertainties that life throws our way? In Matthew 5 Jesus tells us not to worry about things but this is easier said than done. How do we prepare ourselves for the unknown in such a way that ultimately allows us to stretch ourselves and achieve what we believe to be God’s purpose for our lives?

This Saturday churches in the Oxford Diocese gather to pray for all aspects of the 2012 Games. But although some of us will go to church to pray, some will be praying whilst walking, cycling, running and even swimming.  It occurs to me that this is something that many will not quite understand. After all prayer is about getting on our knees either at bed time or perhaps in church when mostly some else prays while we listen and say amen at the end. But there is no limit to the ways in which we can communicate our thoughts, concerns and longings to God

As a runner I am used to praying whilst on the move it may be through words said out loud,  listening to music or the bible on my IPOD, or just giving my thoughts to God as I run. I remember a few years ago whilst I was at St Paul’s church in Slough we organised a prayer walk to bless our local community which was quite simply walking from one area of Slough to another stopping and praying for the people we see around us, and places as we walk by.  This proved to be a very engaging and satisfying way to pray as well as an opportunity to spend time with each other.

Expressing our selves in prayer creatively using our whole being has to be at least illuminating and fulfilling as after all God created us in his image with the ability to express ourselves in different ways. So if at times we struggle to find the right words in prayer perhaps God is saying how about using your creativity, it’s ok. I do hope that Saturday’s prayer day is not a one off but that people will be encouraged to make a habit of walking and blessing the places where they live and work. Perhaps  adopting a place, to walk it at least once a week and to keep speaking blessing over it. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the 2012 Games are recognised as not just the games that changed the nation’s fortune financially but spiritually.

 

 

The God of Surprises

Come and Play in Herschel Park
On Saturday I helped out at Slough Borough Council's Come and Play event in Herschel Park which turned out to be a very rewarding experience. Spending time with families in these beautiful surrounding was both relaxing and inspiring. Herschel Park is indeed a hidden gem very close to the centre of Slough surrounded by the imposing Upton Park estate, sadly at present it is little known to the rest of the borough.

Thanks to £2.7million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, support from the Friends of Herschel Park and more than 500 days of volunteering activities, Slough Borough Council has restored the park to its former Victorian glory.  It wasn't just the fun activities  i enjoyed I learnt a lot too, just in case it never crossed your mind who is behind keeping the park tidy, I spent time with some of the volunteers who, in their own words take care of anything and everything from planting, weeding to looking after the wild life. All in all a very productive afternoon in an environment of creativity enjoying God’s creation at it’s very best.

Reading Half Marathon

It was six years ago that I first ran the London marathon and as part of my preparation ran the Bath Half marathon, back then I was fairly competitive and achieved a personal best of 1.32.50 I was elated and went on to run the London marathon in 3hrs 18 mins. When I lined up in Reading yesterday I had thoughts of achieveing a time of around 1 hour 35 minutes, which would have been an improvement on last years time of 1hr 37mins. As I set off I felt relaxed and was running well I decided to abandon my race plan which was to start slow increasing to a 7.15 minute mile pace a bit faster as the race progresses. It certainly paid off I finished the race in 1.32.52, of course I'm over the moon. Now in my final week of full training next week the tapering process begins as I start to get ready for the 26.2 miles challenge. Running through the streets of Reading yesterday Palm Sunday, no one could tell me this wasn’t where I should be worshipping God, spending time in fellowship is important but we don’t always have to worship God singing hymns and saying prayers in church. I feel blessed indeed to be able to feel God’s presence amongst my fellow runners. Please sponsor me here http://www.justgiving.com/RevJanetBinns