The Bull Rider

I am currently waiting at the airport to board my flight to San Francisco. Believe it or not, I am finally going to run a race! I am headed to the Peyton Jordan Invitational at Stanford, and I am going to run the 5K. The race is on Sunday April 29^th. My race will be at 5:40 Pacific time. You can watch it LIVE on Flotrack: http://www.flotrack.com.

If you talk to anyone that is close to me, they will attest that I am both anxious and excited. In September, I recall thinking that by the time this meet was here I would feel ready to run fast and would have all of the confidence in the world…WRONG! I hadn’t imagined having a hiatus in my training because of an injury. Despite this, I know that no matter what, I would find some other reason to not feel fully confident. It amazes me that no matter how prepared you may or not be, you never “feel” as ready you would like. Nevertheless, you move forward.

My college coach compared our lives to bull riding. He asked, “How many bull riders are fully confident as they mount the bull or believe they can anticipate every move that the bull is going to do? Does this stop them from getting on the bull?” Not only this, but he reminded us that the rider can’t get on defensively or with any passivity; he gets on with aggression and with a sense of confidence- even if he feels he has none.

As I head to Stanford, I will be the first to admit that I have my own doubts, and if I voiced them, I know I would sound petty and ridiculous. I will not let doubt and fear win! Thus, I am going to strive to emulate the bull rider that, despite some uncertainty, seizes the chance to compete. I will step to the line with a sense of assertiveness, confidence, and gratitude, and will have great ride!

 Since I didn’t use the verses I intended to us at the US Cross Country Championships, I will repeat the same verse and mentality: 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self discipline.” I am not called to be timid, and am eager to run for God’s glory with power, love and self discipline as a good soldier would! To God be the Glory!

Passion

Last week I attended a Lifetime yoga class with my roommate, Megan. As some of you know may know, I am not the most flexible person…I consistently failed at the “Presidential Fitness” test in gym class because I was below the 20^th percentile for sit-n-reach, I can’t touch my toes, and my knees point to the sky when I sit cross-legged. I’ve been attending yoga with the goal of increasing my flexibility to prevent injury. This does not make me a “Star Student” of yoga, nor does it make my experience all that enjoyable. During one of the hip stretches that I was already squirming in, the instructor decided he would “enhance” my experience by holding me in the position and adding a little more pressure. I felt so anxious and trapped in the position, but could do nothing about it. The instructor kept repeating, “Don’t give in, or you will miss out on the experience.” Later on, I reflected on the potential missed experience when I try to escape any sort of suffering and recognized the connection between suffering and valuable experiences.

I had a workout Easter morning. I was supposed to run a 5-mile threshold. My brother-in-law, Jeff, came with me. He ran about a step ahead of me, pulling me along. I didn’t check my pace, but I stayed relaxed and focused on running smooth. The yoga instructor’s comment came into my mind: “Don’t miss out on this experience.” When we were done, I checked my pace and was very encouraged; I have not felt that smooth in a threshold before. The 5 miles of fighting fatigue were quickly forgotten, and we both celebrated a great start to our Easter. I can’t even describe the grateful feeling I had, and was so happy I got to share it with my brother-in-law. I think we can all relate to the moments that we are reinforced with a good workout, race, or life experience.

The next day, my mom shared the church bulletin with a reflection by Father Tom Wilson about Passion. His reflection helped me to relate my own workout on Sunday, and my training as an athlete in general, with Christ’s suffering and his own glory!  Fr. Wilson points out that the Webster definition of passion is “a suffering, especially that of Christ.” In general we think of passion as something with a much more glamorous and comfortable connotation. I confidently say that I have a passion for running; I love to train and compete, and to see the potential that I can reach. We all want to pursue our passions, but forget that there is almost always suffering that accompanies the glory in our passion. It was so appropriate to have the workout I had on Easter morning. After I had endured a hard 5 miles of focusing and fatigue, I enjoyed the thrill of feeling encouraged and the rush of endorphins. In a similar way, yet much more extreme, we refer to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death as the Passion of Christ. Jesus Christ had to die on the Cross and endure the penalty for all of our sins so that he could truly receive glory in his resurrection. Something so wonderful could not have occurred without the accompaniment of suffering.

With this Easter message in mind, I want to truly embrace suffering and frustration involved in pursuing my passion of running so that I really don’t “miss out on the experience.” If Christ had not endured his suffering, he would never have saved us all from our sins and been glorified in his resurrection and seated at the right hand of God. The value of the experience may not be immediately apparent in our suffering, but I want to relate to Christ’s suffering and celebrate his glory in my own life. As an athlete, I think one way I can do this is to endure hardships and be disciplined, with a trust that there is a value and a purpose in it that will help me to know Christ more. Apparently the season of Easter is 50 days long. During this time, I hope to really focus on the celebration of Passion in my life, particularly on the link between suffering and glory!

“Endure hardships with me as a good servant of Jesus Christ.” 2 Tim 2:3 

Cross Training

Let me start this entry with a bit of a disclaimer: This may be a rather boring entry for some of you, but for those that like to read about some of the technical components of training, or cross training in this situation, I encourage you to read on!

After recovering from an injury and cross training to maintain my fitness, I vow to do my best to avoid being a "Professional Cross Trainer." I do not dream of spending hours on a machine every day. That said, I recognize the benefit of incorporating cross training into my weekly training regime to prevent injury. Although I prefer to run, I need to incorporate some low-impact workouts to ensure that I stay healthy and can maintain year-round training. I plan to integrate cross training into my training regiment for one to two runs per week. Here is a list of some of the cross training methods that I find very helpful; it amazes me how many great resources there are!

1. Alter G- This is a treadmill that literally defies gravity. For those of you that have heard the song, "Defying Gravity," from the play Wicked, you now have the opportunity to actually defy gravity! With the Alter G you essentially ‘zip up’ into a treadmill and can run at an altered weight so your body doesn’t absorb as much impact. OSR, a Physical Therapy clinic in Eden Prairie, offers this resource: http://www.osrpt.com

2. Underwater Treadmill: The name says it all! A treadmill in a pool with jets flowing against you. The impact is much less in the pool, but you still have the benefit of a foot strike. A variety of elite athletes use this as a compliment to their training. It is a great way to add mileage with less threat of injury. Just to name drop, Galen Rupp and Mo Farah, two of the best distance runners in the world utilize this piece of equipment! You can do a variety of workouts by varying the force of the jets. My favorite workout is 30 seconds hard with 30 second recovery. You turn the jets on high. You can really elevate your heart rate with this workout. Although I feel exhausted by the end, I am so encouraged to get a hard workout without putting my body at great risk. Here is a link to an article featuring an injured athlete that used the Underwater Hydro-worx treadmill.

Under Water Treadmill demo

3. Eliptical- This piece of exercise equipment is probably most familiar to most people as it is found in most gyms these days. I find that the eliptical simulates running fairly well and gets my heart rate very high. I think it helps to do intervals on it to get the best workout and to break up the monotony. Once a week while I was injured I did 8 times 6 minutes hard with a two minute recovery.

4. Deep Water Running: This can be completed in the deep end of a pool. Some people choose to wear a water belt that increases buoyancy. I choose to not wear a belt because it makes the workout a little harder. In lay-man's terms you jump in the pool and start pumping your arms and legs, as though you are running, and you are on your way. The advantage to this activity is there is no impact. This exercise is perfect for someone that can do no weight-baring activity. I did a lot of aqua jogging at the beginning of my injury. Sometimes aqua jogging can be frustrating because you don't get a lot of feedback to gauge how fast you are going, but you still can get a great workout if you are intentional about pumping your arms and legs hard. I lose focus easily in the pool, so I enjoy doing 30 sec intervals. This is essentially a sprint, so I pump my arms and legs as hard as I can and simulate a speed workout with no impact at all! Here is a link to a demonstration: Water running demo.

5. Eliptigo- This is a new piece of equipment. The disadvantage of the Eliptical is you may be confined to the indoors, but with the Eliptigo you basically bring the eliptical outside! It is like a bike, but you are standing up on it. The first time I used it, I went around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis and barely stopped smiling because so many people stopped to stare! Here is a link to a video for a glimpse of the Elipti-go. I would totally recommend it if you desperately need an alternative to running and can’t stand being stuck inside. http://www.elliptigo.com/

There are a variety of other options for cross training, but this is what I found most enjoyable when running isn’t an option. You can all hold me accountable to cross train at least once a week to maintain year-round running!