Running and Competition

Competing in a race has a tendency to bring out the best and the worst in a person, or should I say, athlete. At least it does for me anyway. For instance, as the race day approaches, I find myself getting a wee bit nervous. If I dwell on the race too much, my anxiety heightens and I can be a little on edge. That does not fair well for those closest to me. I find myself looking at external circumstances, like the weather or how I'm feeling physically, how much sleep or rest I'm getting, whether or not I'm eating and hydrating adequately, etc... If there seems to be a glitch in any one of these things, that gives way to more mental and emotional concern I find myself stewing over. Then there is the anticipation of wanting to do better than my last time and the impending disappointment if I don't.

Feelings of nervousness can choke out the joy and the fun of any sport. It breeds a tense disposition instead of a relaxed feeling. And if I'm not relaxing, my body is having to use up energy that could be tucked away for race day. These are the kinds of things I need to keep in check.

On the other hand, competition can bring some wonderful things to the table of your life. Competing calls for faithful preparation. Who wants to be in a race and not do their best? Who signs up only to be apathetic or indifferent towards their performance? Who wants to make a complete fool of themselves?

So you get to work on that wonderful quality of self-discipline. You get to set goals and work on improving them. You learn to bridle your worry and trust in the strength the Lord gives. You take to heart Scriptures you've made life verses such as Proverbs 21:31; Psalm 147:10-11; Psalm 33:16-18; Psalm 44:3-8; Psalm 60:11-12; Phil. 4:13; Isa. 31:1 and others! You attain and achieve areas you did not think were attainable or achievable, and while rejoicing in God's grace, confidence is gained.

Competition? Bring it on. In the final analysis it seems to come down to competing against myself anyway. Yes indeed, God challenges me to "run in such a way as to win." And there are those I will run faster than. But there are also those who will run faster than me, lots faster than me. I just really want to be a winner against my last best and make it my new best. For me, that is what it means to "run in such a way as to win." And a winner needs a good competition to make that happen.

Feeling a bit tired at the moment. The cold weather kept me indoors for a third time this week. But I got in a 3 miler and am praying hard for warmer weather on Sunday!