Aaron's Rules - Marathon Edition

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With my family after crossing the Memorial Stadium 50 yard line finish line of the 2011 Lincoln Marathon.

A few years back I wrote Aaron's Rules. Twelve rules for running. Twelve rules for life.

This year I have a number of friends training for their first marathon. All 26.2 miles. Marathons are hard. They hurt. For days even weeks afterward. But they are worth it. In honor of these friends & marathoner's everywhere, I write today. 

No offense to the half-marathon folks. It is a great distance. Attainable for most people. Even those with just six months running. The desire to get fit, lose weight, or simply compete are great reasons to get out there & do a half.  You can ramp up training in 4-6 months. You can run a maximum of 20-25 miles per week.  And most can finish a half marathon in 1.5-3.0 hours.

At 26.2 miles, the marathon, however, is another event altogether. Double the mileage makes it exponetially more difficult.  It has to do with physiology & time in motion. Once the body is in motion beyond two hours, physiological changes occur that make continued motion at the same intensity much more difficult. Those changes begin to hammer you after three hours. Into four hours & beyond one struggles to continue.

I know folks do ultra marathons of 50 or even 100 miles lasting up to 24 hours. I know folks compete in full Ironman events that last more than 12 hours. These folks are amazing. And crazy. I am awed. They are physiologically gifted, highly trained, & incredibly driven. Me? I'm an Average Joe who has run—and completed (non runners always seem to ask that)—four marathons in the middle of the pack.

So, for the mid pack & back friends, here are Aaron's Rules - Marathon Edition.

The Half-Mil Rule. "You wanna run a marathon?," folks will ask you. With emphasis on the "Yoooou" or the "MAAARathon." Fact is: There were 503,000 marathon finishers in the USA in 2010. Some folks ran one. Some ran many. So it's hard to say how many folks total. The fact remains that marathoning has grown exponentially from 299,000 just ten years ago in 2000. You may be many things - and weird may be one of them - but running a marathon is too commonplace to be labeled weird anymore. Run on. With half a million friends in your club.

The Heart Rule. Marathons are just about the safest place in the world to have a heart attack. You are less likely to die of a heart-attack running a marathon than the average citizen is. And, having completed just one marathon at any time during your lifetime significantly reduces your chances of dying of a heart attack at any later time. So tell your worried friends & family not to worry about your heart.  Also tell them not be jealous of your superior heart health.

The Fuel Rule. This one is the least flashy, but most catchy. You gotta get your fuel right. I'd recommend reading up & getting great stuff at Hammer Nutrition. Heed or Perpetuem will help you - if your an average runner like me - make the distance into the third & fourth hours. And be sure to practice your fueling strategies in your long runs. You need to know it works. Almost equally important, you need to know it won't upset your tummy & ruin your day.

The Crown Rule. I'm not talking about releasing your inner Kenyan & dusting the field in order to receive a winner's crown. That dream is longer than 26.2 miles from reality for us. I'm talking about the crown of the road or the trail. You know how it's higher in the middle? If you spend all your training on one sloped side or the other, you will end up injured. You can't run 30+ miles per week with one leg reaching lower than the other. So, get to the crown. Run on the level spot in the middle of the road or trail. Not in traffic, of course, then we'd need to add the "Squished Like a Grape" Rule. Be smart. But in training. And in the race. Be mindful the surface level beneath you.

The Longer Half Rule. It's been said there are two halves to a marathon. The first 20. And the last 6.2. The shorter half - only the last 6.2 miles, right? - seems so much longer. Yes, 13.1 miles is the halfway point in distance, but its not near the halfway point of endurance. That happens around mile 20 or just past 3 hours running depending on your speed. That's when the physiology of glycogen depletion jumps on your back like a mean, stinking gorilla for the rest of the race.

The Tin Man Rule. In training & in the race. No matter how well you trained. No matter if you got weekly massages. No matter if you tapered your training to perfection. You will feel like the Tin Man who needs oil desperately but with no hope in sight this last 3-4 miles. Prepare for it mentally. Your long runs can prepare you for it physically & mentally to a certain amount, but never fully. Be ready to ache. Be ready to feel stiff. Be ready to push through.

The Don't Worry Rule. Don't worry about your time. At least your first time out at the marathon distance. Just run your race, Finish. And be happy. Finishing is huge. Be happy along the route. Say thank you to volunteers & law enforcement. Thank the crowd. If you really want to have fun, cheer for the crowd. Call out a cute kid, the best sign, the most enthusiastic crowd member. And, of course, share it all with your fellow runners. Those passing you. Those you pass. Everyone. Enjoy the your humanness. Exult in your ability. No matter your speed. Don't worry. Run happy.

Much more can be said. But seven seems plenty. For marathons or for life: be yourself; be healthy; be strong; be careful; be persistent; be courageous; be happy.

Rules to run by. Rules to live by.

Run on!

I Know

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A Daddy directs his son, "Be careful on your bike ride."

The son responds, "I know."

Or a Daddy tells his son, "Put your backpack away."

And the son answers, "Yes, Sir."

Is the difference just manners?

More than manners, it is pride versus humility.

I know. Prideful. Aloof to snotty. Insolent to supercilious. And all the ugliness in between.

I know. Not good.

Yes, Sir. Humble. Courteous to submissive. Polite to self-effacing. And all the kindness in between.

Yes, Sir. Good.

I'll remind myself this difference the next time the Lord Jesus speaks to me & I say, "I know."

"I know, Jesus. You are God's son. You are the Creator. You are Savior. But, me, I go this. No need for any help from you. And, although your ideas are nice, I prefer to do this my way. I got it figured out. Really."

I'll remind myself to say, "Yes, Lord."

So much better.

Who Is This Jesus?

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“Who is this Jesus?,” asks one line of dialogue in our Easter drama, This Day of Resurrection. That single question is a life-changing question that every one of us must consider.

Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16:13, speaking of himself, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They answered that others though he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus made the question personal in Matthew 16:15, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That was Peter’s belief. A man who lived with Jesus, following him as his disciple for three years - day in, day out, observing his every action & hearing his every word - Peter believed Jesus was God’s One & Only Son, the one way Savior of Humanity from our sins.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And if you believe in Jesus as the Son of God & Savior of your sins you are not condemned. John 3:18 goes on, “but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one & only son.”

So, even today, each & every person who lives has a decision to make. A personal decision. A life-changing decision. Who is this Jesus? Do you believe He is God’s Son or not? Do you believe you have sinned, falling short of God’s plan & need the free gift of salvation God offers?

The question is not, who do other people think Jesus is, but who do I believe he is? 

He is either Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. If Jesus is not Lord, then there are only two alternatives.

If he were a liar, then he’d be a hypocrite for teaching truthfulness while deliberately deceiving his followers. Furthermore, being a liar doesn’t coincide with the results of his life & teachings. Someone who lived as Jesus lived, taught as Jesus taught, & died as Jesus died can’t be a liar.

If Jesus is not a liar, could he have thought himself to be God by mistake? Was he crazy, a lunatic? He could be both sincere & wrong. He’d be deluded & self-deceived, but someone with such abnormalities and imbalance could not teach & live so genuinely before so many people.

If he is not a liar or a lunatic, then he must be Lord. This is not a passing, philosophical argument for your consideration, but a question of eternal life & death. John 20:31 says, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name.” Eternal life or death hangs in the balance with this question. 

The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” (Romans 6:23). All you have to do is confess your sins - all the wrong you have ever done, violations of God’s law - and receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” promises John 1:12.

Years later, when writing the book we know as 1 Peter, Peter recorded in 1:18-21, "It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you beleive in God, who raised him from the dead & glorified him, and so your faith & hope are in God."

God gave you Jesus in order that you might have a personal, saving relationship with Him. God loves you & wants you to settle the question, Who is this Jesus?, with the answer, "He is my Lord & Savior."

To make that decision you can pray a simple prayer like this: God, I know I have sinned, but I know you will forgive me. I believe Jesus is Lord as he said. I want to make him Lord of my life. Thank you for forgiving me & making me your child forever. Amen.

Share a comment of who Jesus is to you. Or, if you offered the prayer above, please let me know.

Better Than Botox

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Botox. It's pop culture. You know its used cosmetically. You know or know of someone - or many someones - who have had it.

For those concerned with wrinkled foreheads, laugh lines, or crow's feet it provides a minimally invasive, highly effective treatment.  Its a bit spendy. But in our no matter the cost for whatever makes me feel good and look good culture... Well, folks pay.

Botox works by relaxing muscle contractions. Its a powerful neurotoxin. Injected with a fine needle for precision and minimal discomfort, the cosmetic effects take place in a few days and last for four to six months.

But did you know that Jesus is better than Botox?

Ephesians 5:25-27 uses marriage as an example of how Jesus purifies and perfects his bride, the church. That's you and me, Christ Follower.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

There you have it. No stains. No wrinkles. No blemishes. No needles. No neurotoxins. Just Jesus.

Guaranteed to improve your appearance. And your life.

Better than Botox.

If you got a chuckle or encouraged by this post, then please subscribe or comment. Thanks to my wife for this idea!