Push Through The Pain

My new best friend's name is Alan.  He will be extremely excited to know that he is getting a shout out in another blog...but he deserves the attention.  I talk to Alan every other week or so and I usually leave him feeling like I've been run over by a mack truck (in a good way).  I would probably choose seeing Alan over a double chocolate chunk cookie-wich at Insomnia (which, by the way, will change your life).

Ok, Alan really isn't my friend.  Actually, I have to make an appointment and pay to see him.  He is a masseuse at Massage Envy on Forest Drive that is extremely knowledgeable about anything that has to do with running and injury prevention.  He has told me all about why certain injuries happen with runners and how to prevent/fix them.  He explained about the build up of lactic acid and metabolic waste in your muscles and how to flush all of that goop out to allow your muscles to breathe while you run.  Very interesting stuff.  The last massage I had with Alan was definitely not a feel good massage.  It was PAINFUL.  I knew I was in for it when he said, "ok, you might want to take a deeeeep breathe for a sec."  OUCH!  

So why all the pain when I haven't even been able to run? Well, because after suffering through an hour and a half of pain, I was able to run for 4 miles yesterday without any! Success on the other side of pain.

Life is full of "metabolic waste" that will try to choke and smother you so that you can't move.  Try to convince you that you can't accomplish what you have set out to do.  After my little success of 4 miles, I would sit through 12 more hours of pain if it would help me reach my goal to run the marathon in February.  

When life challenges you with pain, push back.  Push through the pain....physical, spiritual, emotional.  Push through-with the understanding that God promises His best on the other side.  Push through-relying on His strength and not your own.  Push through-confident in His ability to make all things new.  But most importantly, after He delivers you, go tell the world for His glory.

"God you lifted me out, God you lifted me out...and I'll tell all the world." ~ Elevation Worship Album: Awaken