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Crosstraining…it is beneficial in running and in our spiritual lives!! Think about it…

Cross-training is any sport or exercise that supplements your main sport -- in this case, running. Cross training is a great way to condition different muscle groups, develop a new set of skills, and reduce boredom that creeps in after months of the same exercise routines. Cross training also allows you the ability to vary the stress placed on specific muscles or even your cardiovascular system. After months of the same movements your body becomes extremely efficient performing those movements, and while that is great for competition, it limits the amount of overall fitness you possess and reduces the actual conditioning you get while training; rather than continuing to improve, you simply maintain a certain level of fitness. Cross training is also necessary to reduce the risk of injury from repetitive strain or overuse.

You'll maintain or even improve your cardiovascular fitness

It reduces your chance of injury

You'll avoid getting bored with running

You can continue to train with certain injuries, while giving them proper time to heal

Spiritual crosstraining- It is as important to spiritually crosstrain as it is to physically crosstrain. For the same reasons as it is physically, think about how beneficial spiritual crosstraining is. We know that reading the Bible is important to our spiritual health and vitality, think about the other disciplines that strengthen our spiritual lives:

Reading: reading God’s word to learn and study God’s direction

Relate: think how God’s word applies to our personal lives and situations.

Reflect: think about what God is saying to you through His word and through others. Take time to think about the different ways that God reaches out to us…through creation, through the Bible, through prayer, through others, through the silence.

Pray: spread time in conversation with God. Our strongest relationships are the ones we invest time in, whether by reading God’s word, praying to God, spending time together, thinking about the relationship, etc.

Rest/be still: sit quietly in God’s presence and allow God to love you. Think of it like when you were a child sitting in your parent’s lap or if you have children when they have climbed in to your lap and just enjoyed the feeling of being held. It is a place of just being held and loved in each other’s company.

All five senses can be used to enjoy experiencing God…seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Use these gifts to strengthen yourself spiritually and physically. If you don’t already, introduce
crosstraining into your daily life and be enriched by it. See how those other areas are made stronger and richer…

1 Peter 3:15-16 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone that asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.

Are you teachable? 

Am I teachable? Does that seem like an odd question for a running group?

Maybe, but think about your “running life”.  When you started running, did you research the sport, ask opinions of other runners, seek out information online, etc. Or were you like me, thinking that our bodies were made to run, so can’t we just go out there and start running?

The simple answer is yes! We can just get out there and start running. The smarter answer is, are we willing to learn the wisest way? Are we efficient when we run?  Are we willing to even ask other seasoned, coached runners?

We have all seen those gazelles on the road that look and seem like “natural runners”! They seem to glide along the road…FAST…and look like they are enjoying their run that day. Now, I  am sure that there are some that beat the odds here, but on the whole, what is the secret behind that gazelle like stride? Can you only be born with it? I am willing to bet a box of nutrition bars (your choice of brand) that if they are asked about their natural giftedness for running, it is after many hours and years of coaching. They were willing to listen to suggestions/improvements/changes/disciplines in their running style from other seasoned runners and then work to implement those things to improve.

How did they run better, more efficient, faster? They trained. They pushed harder, ran with faster runners, analyzed their gait, ate better food for their body, were willing to be teachable. They were willing to ask (be vulnerable) and then implement (be disciplined) what they learned.

Isn’t it cool how so many lessons in running can be used and compared with our Christian life?!

Similar to when you became a runner, when you became a Christian did you research, ask others and seek out instruction? I’m sure some did research and analyze their decision to receive Christ, but overall I would guess that a lot of us received Christ and then sometime later dug deeper into what that meant in our lives. Thankfully, like running, receiving Christ can be done without having to pass a test or qualify for! We can come to the Lord “just as we are” and he receives us…and makes us His child at that moment.

Haven’t you met people that seem like they were born to be “natural Christians”? Seriously, there are some people who are so sweet, so compassionate, so generous, etc. But if we are willing to talk with them and hear their story, I bet they have been changed by spending time with Christ, in God’s word, in prayer, in fellowship. Just like with our running efficiency and improvement, how do we become more like Christ? We are teachable. We become students of the Bible and instruction from other Christian leaders/teachers/friends. Seek out others that are living examples of Christ in your life and ask the Lord to lead you to other Christians that will train with you for life.

Phil 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Do pace groups really help? 

Do I really need to run with a pace group? Will it be better for me to run with a pace group instead of alone? Have you ever had these thoughts? I know I have. You might be asking some other questions like, “What is a pace group?” or “What if I like to run alone, how would that help me?” 

To answer if I think pace groups help to run better, my answer is definitely! It is not a matter of choosing between good and bad to me, but choosing between good and best. Think about the whole purpose of a pace group. It is to provide the correct running pace to finish the run in a certain amount of time. It is led or controlled by an experienced pace runner who is able to maintain that perfect pace for others to follow their lead. They are trained to keep the consistency of the run so that you know how long it will take to finish. So, in marathons they will have several different pace groups (3:00, 3:10, 3:20, etc.), to allow runners to run with the group that will finish within that time frame. 

There is great wisdom in the pace group idea. I would think everyone would want to run with one. But that is not the case. Many people I have talked to about running with a pace group for a marathon said they had tried to do it, but felt like they weren’t running fast enough. So they separated from the group and ran ahead on their own. Interestingly, each of them also said that somewhere later in the run, that the pace group they started with actually passed them, finishing on time, while they finished later than they had hoped. 

The pace group is almost like a gift! You can run with them and stay connected without having to stress over your split times, mental calculations while you run, etc. You can just enjoy the run and keep with the group…but you have to be willing to follow their expertise and trust their pace instead of how you “feel”…even if you feel like you could run faster that day! 

The pace group is very much like life with Christ and our relationships with fellow Christians! Hebrews 10: 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Many times as a Christian I want to run ahead because I feel good about something or I prefer to “run it alone” so that no one can slow me down. I am on a mission baby! But the Bible tells us in Hebrews again, chapter 12, verse 1…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Life is a marathon…actually, more like an ultramarathon and not a sprint! But I have to submit my plans, goals, aspirations to God to direct what “pace group” He wants me in. You know the familiar verse, Matthew 6: 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

The Lord wants us to run this race of life well, to finish with a PR (personal record), to finish feeling excited not exhausted, to enjoy the journey, and have our best miles to be covered on foot in His steps! But that means trusting that the Lord has His perfect pace just for you! 

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Do you ever feel like you start to run and only get maybe ¼ mile, and it feels like you can’t breathe? Or maybe it feels like your chest is about to explode? That you can’t take in enough air, even though you are surrounded by it? Does it feel like running is such hard work, that you must not be a runner because the other folks out there don’t seem to be having the same difficulties, like they are gliding along, enjoying the run? What is the difference?

After having all of those thoughts and feelings, I think the difference is time. Time spent running. How can I become more comfortable in my running like others that glide by? They run. I need to run. Doesn’t mean I need to run as fast as anyone else, it just means that I need to spend time doing it. Comfort comes with time. The more often I go out and run, the more comfortable I am with every aspect of the sport. My stride becomes a natural thing that I don’t think about anymore like I did at first I don’t have to think through the mechanics so much, because practicing it has allowed me to learn it. My body knows it better. I know how to mentally run better with time too. I know my lungs will ache at first, but it will pass within a short distance…if I persevere. I know my heart will settle into a steady rhythm, not continue to pound loudly, as I continue to set my mind on the path ahead and settle in mentally.

Running reminds me a lot of my spiritual walk. The Bible has many correlations to running and races that make sense to me now.

How have I gotten comfortable in my life with the Lord? By spending time with Him. At first, I did things like a robot following instructions in a manual. Read my Bible, pray, be nice, etc., like steps that weren’t smooth. As I spend more time with the Lord through praying, reading my Bible, being kind and compassionate, forgiving, these characteristics are more natural now. My life becomes His as I learn to give it to Him each day, sometimes each hour. But like running, how my steps have become more natural, now my actions and heart have become more like His. There are still days were it is a struggle, both running and being a Christian, but I take that next step with Christ and on the path, until I settle in again.

Have you taken that step of giving your life to Christ? Are you comfortable in your relationship with the Lord? He desires to spend time with you…He loves being our friend, our confidante, our Saviour. If you aren’t sure, have any questions, want to learn more about what this means, please ask Christian Runners.