1 COR 9:24

26.2. 13.1 Distance Running. Sprinting. Middle Distances like 2 mile/3miles, 5,000/10,000 meter races.

Why do it?

Why stress your body and mind to the point that BOTH hurt?

I went to the Ortho Doc yesterday, and got a Cortisone shot in my hip. Incredible what "modern" medicine can do. Doc told me that the injection will start working within a day or so, but I am already starting to feel the inflammation subside. He cleared me to begin running, if I feel up to it, on Monday of next week. I'm going to alter my training schedule to off-load most of the speed work until later in the schedule. I'll incorporate some additional hill training in the early speed work phases.

The doc and I also got into a short "debate" on Long Distance running. From his perspective, he sees many injuries each year from runners, from IT Band, knee, ankle, foot, etc problems. His observation was that, although it is a tremendous way to keep fit, that early man "hid behind rocks" and waited for it's prey to come by, thus he concluded that MAN's bodies were not built to be distance machines. My response was "what happened when the food source runs out?", my point was that early man HAD to cover long distances to hunt for food. This is a common explanation of why men/women pack on fat around the belly, so that we can have energy sources between the HUNT.

Tit for Tat. He respected me for my view, and I for his. Most of this conversation was not his reluctance to give me the shot to begin with, but that he found a "shadow" on my X-RAY that gave him pause. He showed it to me, and we both agreed that it was probably nothing to be concerned. Doc also consulted with another Ortho, and the other Doc wasn't concerned. Doc did not want to inject me if the shadow was perhaps, a mass or tumor that may be forming. He gave me some more questions, and I answered. We discussed. He left it up to me to OK the injection or get an MRI in order to further investigate the shadow. I choose the injection and agreed to follow up in 4 weeks. At that time we will take another X-ray and perhaps and MRI and discuss.

So why not stop my training and get the MRI? Why not stop for 6 weeks and heal up naturally. That's all it would take, this is nothing more than an over-training injury, something that mother nature and time will certainly take care of.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says:

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul was writing to the Corinthian church about what it takes to be a Disciple of Christ. The marathon is just a derivative of this passage and outlook on OUR race to Christ. Read the passage to yourself, and you will understand WHY I do what I do to achieve my GOAL of 26.2. I know I won't win the race, but if I don't train for THE RACE i can't finish, in the marathon or in life.