The Importance of Teammates

Another week of classes and workouts has gone by. I can't believe it is almost September! This week of training was pretty intense. My 12 mile long run on Monday went awesome! Wednesday we had a killer hill workout. It's kind of hard to explain, but it was basically 3 sets of 4 hills with jog down recovery between each hill and 2 minutes between each set. We ran about 4.5 miles of hills and then had a 10 minute tempo run. This workout was brutal, but I felt pretty good even on the 10 minute tempo at the end.

Today's workout was even harder. We had 4k, 4k, 2k with 2 minutes rest between. We were supposed to get faster each one, but that didn't happen for many of us today. The first 4k went awesome. We ran as a pack and went slightly faster than the pace coach gave us. The second 4k was a little slower. I felt good the first half of it but started dying the second half. The last 2k was rough. I really had to push just to finish. This workout would not have been so hard had it been on a flat course, but we did it on our xc course, which has this major hill about 400 meters long. I wish words could accurately describe this beast of a hill, but you can only understand if you run up it. We had to run up this hill a total of 5 times in the workout (twice in each 4k and once in the 2k). This hill killed me the last 2 times I ran up it...but I survived the workout, even though I have been sick the past few days.

I was pretty disappointed that I didn't hit the right paces the second 4k and last 2k, but I handled it a lot better than I handled my disappointment during last week's workout. I know that I worked as hard as I could today. I had nothing left at the end. Even if I didn't hit all the paces, I am still stronger after this workout. My running is for God, who gives me the ability to run, and He is pleased when I give my best. He loves me and is proud of me no matter what pace I run. My value and worth are found in Him, not in my running.

Running is like the Christian's life in so many ways. One thing that stuck out to me today was the importance of teamwork. During the last 2k, Kelly and I ran side by side. She pushed me so much, and I may not have made it without her. Even though it took so much strength to talk because of how hard we were breathing, we were still encouraging each other every couple of minutes. We needed each other during that 2k and did so much better running together than we would have done alone. Every believer needs "teammates" as well to challenge and encourage and support one another. We are not meant to run this "race" alone. We need other believers to "run" with us and, even when times are rough, to push us and encourage us.

Am I being a good "teammate" to my brothers and sisters in Christ? How can I be an encouragement to them? How can I push them? In what ways can I be there for them?

"Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24
"Share each other's troubles and problems." Galatians 6:2
"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other." James 5:16