Day four of my musings on what one can learn from training for an endurance sport. And the moral of the story is "Tim needs something different to think about while out on those long rides". This really IS the last post on this.
Nutrition and Fuel
An endurance athlete – one in training and one competing – needs to be very serious about nutrition. You need a good base nutrition, day in and day out sensible eating. You can’t say, “I ate last Thursday so I am good for now.” To be successful in life’s race, we need consistent and every day time with God. The Word of God is the protein we need, especially after a long day of training to build up our muscles and not tear them down.
All sorts of racers try to “carb load” the night before a race to store up energy. They say that this doesn’t really work. Ditto for drinking lots of water beforehand. What is important is to eat in a healthy way consistently. Likewise, we should not ignore the Word and then hit it hard when we have a big decision or trial. That will help some but the base nutrition from day to day is what will carry you for the long haul.
Runners and cyclists also take “gel nutrition” for quick energy during a long event. There is no time for a full meal and you would not be able to digest it anyway, without drawing energy away from your muscles. So people use these gels, or as I discovered this week, honey, which has a very similar composition.
This “on the go” nutrition might correspond to verses we memorize and recalled in the heat of battle.
Ps. 119:103 How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.
Nutrition also includes what you choose not to eat.
They say you should avoid eating processed sugary drinks and fat as you ride or run as it is hard for your body to digest those on the go.
Last year when I was in Northern Ireland, I was on a long ride with a friend. We stopped for lunch, which for him included a pint of whole milk and 3 ice cream bars. On the way out of town, we stopped to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral. After a few minutes, I couldn’t find him. Turns out, he was outside lying on the grass asleep. Now, milk is actually a great post-ride recovery drink and ice cream is okay, too, post ride.
In the race of life and ministry, I’d say these things represent the distractions that we might feed on mentally: TV, internet, video games, etc. Not bad necessarily in and of themselves in small doses, but they drain your energy and distract you from the prize when you are out on the long road.
And if taken in large doses daily, you will end up with a lot of “excess baggage” that will slow you down considerably in the race, or totally sideline you.
Speaking of Excess baggage, there is also “the sin that so easily entangles”
Heb 12:1
This can include simply the distractions of life, but also the sins and obsessions that we cling to and carry around.
As I began training for the freewheel ride, I was setting off on my rides with a backpack holding extra water, tools, and all sorts of things “just in case”. And I found that my back was really killing me after a while. So I got rid of the backpack and got a little seat pack for the bike and put only essential tools there. And I got a second water bottle holder for the bike post. This way I am unencumbered and my back does not kill me.
One lesson there is that you can not plan on bringing everything with you will need for the long haul. You are going to have to find water along the way – you simply can’t carry 6 bottles’ worth on your back. This means depending on others and God and not trying to prepare for each contingency on your own.
As Forrest Gump said, “That’s all I have to say about that!”
Just remember when you are in it for the long haul: “There will be a party at the end of the ride and you are invited!”
No comments:
Post a Comment