Garmin

I am closing in on week three of training and I am still alive and well!  That is something to celebrate!  This is what the week looked like:

Sunday- 2 mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile intervals at an 8:30 pace (my goal pace for the marathon)

Monday- Easy 3 miles

Tuesday- 5 miles, focusing on form (5 x 1 minute intervals at around 8:00 pace)

Wednesday- 1 hour 15 minutes on the bike 

Thursday- 5 miles, same as Tuesday

Friday- 45 minutes on the bike

....and looking forward to 15 miles to start week 4...OH MY.  Prayers are needed and appreciated!

So far, I feel great.  Some days are definitely better than others.  I did a face plant on the sidewalk yesterday...definitely falls in the category of "not one of my best runs". My ego, as well as my knees, took a big hit on that one!  But if you have ever met me or spent more than 10 minutes with me, you know that I am clumsy by nature, so falling is nothing new.  

One of my biggest issues is pacing.  I never feel consistent.  I am either running too fast to start off, or not fast enough.  My trainer, David Harvin, from The Edge Endurance Training Center in Greenville, SC is letting me use a Garmin GPS pacing watch to help me stay on target.  This thing is AWESOME!  You can set a virtual running partner at your target pace.  On the screen, it will show you how far you are ahead or behind the virtual partner.  It took some trial and error to get comfortable using it while I was running.  During one of the mile timed runs this week, I looked down and thought it said I was behind 27 secs...so I ran faster...and I was wrong.  It was saying that I was running 27 seconds faster than I should be.  Lesson learned -the labels "behind" and "ahead of" change!  Duh.  Anyway, now that I know that, it has been a lot easier to be consistent.  If I feel like I'm running too fast, all it takes is a quick glance down and I can get right back on track.  With GPS tracking, I can just start running with no direction in mind and make my own route as I go.  No more running the same boring route every week!  So convenient:)

Well, as far a my personal life goes, I have NOT felt on track for a while.  I am moving in the right direction now, but I have been through a lot of "the wrong direction" in the last few years.  I always had a desire for someone or something to help me make the right choice, to show me the right direction, to tell me if I was moving too fast or too slow.  Wouldn't that be nice?  No more questions or doubts, just a quick glance at something to set you on the right path.  

I had a little "ah-ha" moment during one of my runs this week.  God is the "Garmin" of my life.  He knows when I'm running a little too fast or when I'm not moving fast enough.  He knows the exact direction I am headed.  Time spent in His word each day is what keeps me on track and in line with His will and purpose for my life.  God's word, like the Garmin, has taken me some time to get comfortable with.  It was intimidating to me, but after using and studying it I have grown confidence in my ability to understand it as God intended.  Sometimes, I might glance down and misread the Garmin and sometimes I might not get things in life right the first time, but our gracious Father gives us a new beginning each day to try again until we get it right.  Allow God to be your Garmin and you will always end up running at exactly the right pace and exactly the right distance, no matter how many falls you may have along the way!

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." ~Lamentations 3:22-24