Hello readers, in this post I’ve taken running tips from the VeryWellFit website on ‘How to Improve a Stronger Race Finish’ and drawn some parallels to the Christian race. So this is for all you physical and spiritual fitness fanatics.
Practice Finishing Fast
Practice running negative splits. What is a negative split? A split time is the time it takes you to run a set distance. A negative split is a split time that is faster than your previous split time.
Determine what a reasonable split time is, then focus on negative splits for each kilometre. Your last split in the final kilometre should be your hardest and fastest.
Practice Finishing Fast
Our time on earth is fleeting. We’re under time pressure. Jesus is coming back soon.
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 1 Thess 5:2
Improve Mental Toughness
Learn to tolerate physical discomfort. Running is hard work. There’s foot, knee, and chest pain. There’s muscular cramps, stomach cramps, and the occasional vomit. There’s heat from the sun scorching your body, or cold that makes every breath feel like needles are piercing your lungs, or rain that makes your clothes feel a thousand times heavier.
Enduring pain is part of training and competition. Accept this as a fact.
Practice self-dialogue, reminding yourself that each challenge is an opportunity to improve performance.
Repeat a mantra to yourself that helps push you through to the finish. For instance: pain is gain, eyes on the prize, suck it up princess, winners aren’t quitters, and run, Forrest, run!
Learn to ignore distractions, like that cute guy in the muscle tank that’s just over taken you. Avert your eyes and look past his broad shoulders toward the next milestone up ahead.
Improve Mental Toughness
Learn to tolerate pain in life. Accept that life is like a rock, it’s hard. ‘Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.’ Job 5:7
The university offer didn’t come, your best friend’s been diagnosed with an incurable disease, your dog escaped the yard and was hit by a car, you failed a major exam worth 80% of your grade, these things are hard to bear, but are a part of life.
God reminds us to renew our minds every single day. We are to mind his word. Practice self-dialogue with scripture. Remind yourself of verses that you have committed to memory. Say these aloud for a healthier mindset and increased confidence in the Lord.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; Colossians 3:16a
Recall specific things God has done for you—His acts of grace and mercy, those answered prayers. Keep a gratitude journal. Give thanks.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Eph 5:20
Ignore mental distractions that may keep you from loving God with all your mind.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1 Peter 1:13
Run Hills
Run up and down hills to build strength and endurance, improve running efficiency and increase lactate threshold. Incorporate hill training once or twice a week to gain benefits. (Kate Bush. . .eat your heart out . . .’cause I’m running up that hill. . .)
Run Hills – set challenges for yourself, do hard tasks repeatedly
What’s an easy task for one Christian may be a challenge for another.
Does sharing the gospel, talking about the good news of salvation to a stranger petrify you? Learn how to witness in a way that suits your personality.
Do you love studying the New Testament, but skip through the Old Testament because it’s daunting and difficult to understand? Why not set the goal of reading a chapter from the Old Testament when you read one from the New Testament. Use a concordance, commentaries, bible dictionaries and other tools to enhance your understanding.
The more you practice doing the hard things and the more you challenge yourself, the easier the tasks become.
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; Isaiah 54:2
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Cor 9:27
Increase Strength and Power
Fatigued and achy muscles can hamper a strong dash to the finish line. Regular strength training exercises will improve muscular strength and power.
Incorporate plyometric drills—skipping, high knees, jumping—into your training to build explosive power and strength in your legs. Include lunges and squats at the end of your runs.
Increase Strength and Power
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2 Cor 4:16
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 1 Peter 5:10
We don’t rest on our laurels. There’s work to be done, including the internal transformation and renovations that the Holy Spirit does on our hearts. He works in and through us to conform us into the image of His Son, the source of all strength and power.
We increase in strength and power by doing our part. We are co laborers together with God.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 1 Cor 3:9
That means we can’t sit about doing nothing. Let us serve our King with gladness. Don’t be a pew warmer, a spectator, or a lump. Seek God’s will and then do God’s will. Take action, today. Flex your spiritual muscles.
Find your Next Gear
During your tempo runs, practice picking up the pace at different distances from the finish line. Use your training journal to write down where you increased speed, what energy levels you had etc.
If you’ve practiced running faster, it will be easier to kick into gear with confidence on the actual competition day.
Find your Next Spiritual Gear
Don’t settle. Aim for the next level. Strive to improve. Kick it up a notch.
God wants us to grow. There should be no midgets in God’s family unless we’ve deliberately stunted or sabotaged our own growth.
Bear fruit, and then bear even more fruit.
2 Pet 1:5-8
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall be neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Divide and Conquer
Divide the race into segments with a clear goal for each one. Starting a race too fast may lead to a slow exhaustive finish.
In the middle kms start “fishing” for other runners in front of you. Imagine yourself with a fishing rod and hooking a runner in front of you, and start reeling them in as you pass them by.
Practice this technique until you’ve found the sweet spot at which you’ve decided to get into a new gear. Cross the finish line feeling fast and strong. Smile for the camera.
Divide and Conquer
Set spiritual goals for each part of your life. Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time sensitive goals.
Review every year, every month, every day. Ask God for fresh goals and new vision. It will revitalize you and give you purpose and motivation.
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak; for your work shall be rewarded. 2 Chron 15:7
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31
Cross the finish line. Smile for Jesus.
Bibliography
Luff, C. 2020, ‘How to improve a Stronger Race Finish’, VeryWellFit. Retrieved 12 May 2022 from
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-finish-strong-in-running-races-2910928
