In 2018 I signed up for my first marathon. I had run a number of half marathons, but never a full. I decided it was time. A couple weeks before the race, a friend of mine (Kevin Knapp) and I were doing a long training run – 22 miles. I had never run 22 miles before. This would be a new PR distance for me. The first 14 miles went great. We were maintaining a good pace, at least for us (around 8:30/mile). But then things started to go downhill. Or I should say that I started to go downhill. Kevin was doing fine, but I wasn’t. Our pace slowed greatly those last 8 miles (around 11:30/mile). As my body was begging me to stop, my mind was also in a battle. You can’t. You won’t. If you can’t run 22 miles today, how do you think you’re going to be able to run 26.2 miles in a couple weeks?! Somewhere in those last couple of miles I voiced my discouragement to Kevin, who responded with these words: ‘These are great miles Cory! It’s by running these miles, although challenging and slow, that you’re going to be able to complete the marathon in a couple weeks.’
Those words – ‘These are great miles Cory’, totally changed my perspective! They helped me to view my struggle as an opportunity to grow vs. a reason to give up and quit. What a difference a few words of encouragement and belief made in my thinking, my perspective and my attitude.
Have you ever received a word of encouragement or inspiration that enabled you to continue forward? A timely affirmation that provided the internal motivation you needed? We all face times in life when the circumstances around us are telling us to sit down, to quit, to call it a day, to give up on our dream. And it’s in those times that we need to make sure that we are surrounding ourselves with people who believe in us, who are cheering for us, and who will give us the emotional support and verbal encouragement that we need to press on.
If you find yourself in a particularly challenging situation in your life, let me encourage you with the words that so greatly encouraged me. ‘These are great miles!’ Pause for a moment to think about it. Say the words out loud: ‘These are great miles!’ Not easy miles, but productive miles. Not care-free miles, but developmental miles. Not stress-free miles, but character producing miles. Miles that have the potential to see you grow and develop into who God wants you and designed you to be… IF you’ll press on, stay at it, keep putting one foot in front of the other… no matter how strenuous it may seem or how slow you may be going.
The challenges you face today have the potential to derail you or to prepare you. Which will you choose? You may feel like throwing in the towel. But please don’t. After all, ‘These are great miles!’
Until next time…
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