While I believe in their importance and usually enjoy them, tempo runs (at or slightly faster than goal marathon pace) have recently been a source of frustration. It’s been difficult to accept that between the heat and my loss of fitness, I simply can’t yet hit the same target paces I did last year…at least not without sending my heart rate into the stratosphere. So today I switched my focus from outcome (pace) to effort (heart rate). It made a world of difference. Letting go of the outcome allowed me to relax and enjoy the run. I gave a good effort and felt reasonably good, striking the balance between challenging myself and not overdoing it. My pace was considerably slower than what I would normally consider a tempo run…but probably faster than if I had started out overestimating my abilities and crashed halfway through the workout…and faster than any other run of that distance so far this year. I think I have to call that a win.
It also got me thinking about what I can and cannot control in my relationship with God. I can control whether or not I set aside quiet time, read my Bible, or go to church. I cannot control whether or how He speaks to me when I do. But as in running, if I consistently make the effort, results will come. He promises:
“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you WILL find Me.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
and
“Draw near to God, and He WILL draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
God IS faithful. It is His nature. He invented the concept. So it is impossible for me to be more faithful to Him than He is to me. It may not always be when or how I expect, but if I keep seeking Him, He WILL show up. He always does. 🙂