I've been doing triathlons for 5 years and this past September I decided to do my first Ironman.  I picked Wisconsin because I have an affinity for the midwest and because it is supposed to be the most well supported race (except Kona) among all the Ironman races.  It was also ranked the second hardest Ironman race in the world (including Kona).  

There is so much to write that I think I won't write anything.  I have posted some pics to give you an idea of what it looked like and all we experienced.  Enjoy

As I think I've said before, I'm not a runner but since I do triathlons I'm forced to run :) I have grown fond of it, but sometimes running seems to be monotonous.  Sometimes I think, "The same course, the same roads, the same hills every day - how can I stay motivated?"  Just think if you ate the same food over and over again, even if it is food you like; sooner or later it would be hard to swallow it down.

Yesterday I decided to do something different - I ran my course in reverse.  I found myself running with more power and even distracted (in a good way) while I ran.  It was the same course, same mileage, but a vastly different feeling. As I ran I looked at all the terrain and surroundings in a different light.  Houses that I passed looked different as I saw them from a different angle.  I am happy to say that I actually enjoyed the run!

There are some parallels here in our daily spiritual life.  So many of us approach our relationship with God the same way, every day.  It shouldn't be a surprise that after a while it all gets stale and boring and we feel disconnected from God.   Often it just takes a change of pace, speed, or method that can wake us up to what God is doing in our lives.  What can you do?  1. Get a new Bible or book to read and do your devotional; 2. Spend a week praying not for yourself, but for someone else; 3. Incorporate some music to your Bible study - music often opens up thoughts about God that we wouldn't ordinarily have; 4. Change up the time you read your Bible and pray - move from nighttime to morning or lunchtime.  

Your responsible for your relationship with God - change it up to maximize your devotional life!

I would not call myself a runner, though I do run a lot.  Running for me consists of getting from point A to point B with as little effort as possible.  The reality is that I really don't know what I'm doing when I run - I just put one foot in front of the other and hope for the best (BTW - this is how I approach swimming, except its hands and not feet).

The other day I was looking at a training guide for running and it talks about "proud" form.  Proud form is your chest out, your back straight and your arms working parallel to the ground.  Proud form is good form.  Good running is running with good, proud form.

I just run, but I need to run with better form in order to be a great runner.

For me the parallel with the Christian life came easy.  Any one of us can be following Christ, reading Scripture, and going to church - this doesn't mean we are doing it well.  We have to have good form - in this case it means making sure we are doing all of this the right way and, for the Christian life, for the right reasons.  Good form in this case would be showing the fruits of the Spirit in our lives (peace, patience, kindness, love, longsuffering, humility, etc).  When we run the race with the right form we maximize our effort -  our Scripture reading, our service, and our prayer.  Good form is the key to running . . .  and the key to our our spiritual life.

Get good form!