Day 18: Refined by Fire...

                WEEK THREE

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Workout:
                WEIGHTS
                                Power Cleans 3 x 10
                                Bench Press 3 x 10
                                Bent Over Rows 3 x 10
                                Upright Rows 3 x 10

                RUN WORKOUT - 15.5k in 1:03:00 (6:33/mile pace)
                           2.5k warm up / 20 x 400m with :30 jog recovery / 2.8k cooldown                          

Notes:

         Very tough day today. I knew coming into this program I would be spending a lot of time out on the roads searching for my "self", my identity, who I am, as a runner and more importantly as a child of Christ. I DID NOT anticipate struggling so much finding myself physically. To put it in short terms, when I am running I do not feel like myself. There is a difference in feeling fatigued and out of shape, and flat out not feeling like yourself, and so far I am absolutely not myself. My legs feel completely foreign to me, almost disconnected from my body. I find myself struggling with tightness, everything is tight and sore from the hips down. I have very rarely been in this situation.

        During my college career I took running for granted and would neglect running all summer and then come into cross country camp ripping mileage and getting myself into shape quickly, but I could handle it. Here I am, just three weeks removed from being in the best track shape of my life (running repeat 400's in 56, 600's in 1:24, etc...) and now I am struggling just to break 6:00 pace for a 400.

        Now that I have vented that I can get to reality in the situation, it's hot, I'm not accustomed to this style of training, and I'm flat out being tested right out of the gate. I prayed this program would change me, and the way to be changed is to be refined through fire. I could not have contemplated the fire burning so intense so soon, but it is and that's the reality of the situation; I now need to focus and stay the course with faith. I found myself praying out today about half way into the workout as I knew I was getting very frustrated with the circumstances, simply praying for perseverance and for a change in heart. I may not have found happiness in this workout but I certainly still have my joy, and I know God has my back in this process. God stokes the fire that refines and He is the only one fireproof to come rescue me from it. I pray I can remain in the fire with faith until God sees fit to rescue me from it.

       The workout was repeat 400's just below marathon pace and :30 jog rest. I was supposed to get in 30 repeats already but I settled for 20, as I was about to break. Using the Garmin I have no idea what pace I am running on each interval so I just tried to run consistant. Unfortunately I was all over the place and nowhere near the goal pace of 1:20.8; my fastest was 1:24.1 on the 19th interval, slowest was 1:32.6 on the 10th interval, average for the set was 1:28.5

 

"In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy"     -1 Peter 1:6-8

I pray that I can rejoice and be thankful in these trials, for I do believe that Christ is present EVEN IN THE MIDST OF SORROW AND TRIALS! Not only is He present, He's more available to me personally than in times of "success" as with success comes pride and a struggle to reach for Christ, in these trials all I want to do is cry out to Christ for comfort and strength, and I KNOW HE IS THERE TO CARRY ME! I need not have sorrow or despair in trials, for God has given me joy in life that transcends the circumstances of my training, enabling me to have joy inspite of suffering. God is good!