Imagine…for just a second….swimming 2.4 of those miles, biking 112 and then running 26.2. Crazy right?! I’d say I have pretty large passion for those people who can finish an IronMan race. And I’m looking for the passion inside myself to be able to do one someday.
As most of you know, the countdown to my first triathlon is on! Don’t get too excited…it’s only a small sprint triathlon. But, I am doing it for a few reasons. The first being to glorify God. I want to use the gifts he has given me (I may not be the fastest runner, but at least I can swim….:)). I also want to prove to myself that I can in fact do this. I already know I will enjoy it because to be quite honest, I have loved the training I have been through in the past few months. I really like all three sports: the run, the swim and the bike. I never get bored of doing the same thing. Lastly, I hope that through doing this sprint triathlon, I will end up wanting to take the next step. My new roomie (Jen Vichosky) and I have already tentatively planned on doing a standard triathlon together in the fall. She is currently training for the Cleveland Marathon which is the weekend before my race, so we will be ready to dive right into training together in the beginning of June! The end goal however, is to attempt an IronMan at some point in my life.
I have such a passion for people who are into this sport. I think it takes so much more than strength and endurance to train and even finish a race like this. It takes determination and a lot of mental preparation. And where in the world do you find that? Where do you even begin looking for it? I believe it all begins by looking into your heart…and I’d like to think my heart has a whole lot of love for our God. I look to him for a lot of things in my life and it’s definitely where I began looking when I knew I needed a push to begin my journey in this sport of triathlon training.
There also have been several other things that God has given me in the past few months that have helped me. I have had some great friends around to help teach and educate me. I have a roommate who is running so much that I would never see her if chose not to run with her. I read scripture that helps motivate me and I try to memorize it while I am training. And I often pray that God helps me stay focused on the end prize. Not the pain I may be enduring now.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Hebrews 12: 11,12
I also think God can be using you by shining your light onto others who are trying to do something like this for themselves. You could be motivating others through your passion and not even be realizing it (Jeremy Coffey). This is not just a physical game here folks. If you have the heart, and God is in the center of that heart, it’s possible. Obviously God gives you certain gifts and natural talents. Use them to glorify him! But he also gives you a heart. When you have both of those things combined, it can make for an outcome that might even surprise you.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8
Maybe it’s not a triathlon that you’re striving for. But really try to find what you do have a similar passion for and provide yourself with some goals to accomplish it. Use the passion inside your heart and the gifts God has given you to glorify him. Don’t let them go to waste. And remember, the end prize is something eternal.
