Just Wearin My Brand New Shoes. . .

I didn't want to, but I had to.  I had to get some new shoes.  On Monday, I ran what I hoped to be my fastest one mile.  


I failed miserably.


Miserably.


I mean, I didn't even break a 10-minute mile.  And to top it all off, when I got back, my knee was in such pain that I wondered what on earth I was thinking of doing. 


So I researched and apparently, you shouldn't use a shoe for more than 300 miles?  Who knew?  Well, I'm sure my runner friends knew.  Anyhow, although I know I have not logged that many miles in that particular shoe, I have been using those shoes on leg day at the gym.


I retired them this week and got these:





I am not a big fan of gimmicks, and I am sure there are better shoes on the market with much bigger price tags.  They guy at Dick's Sporting Goods tried to sell them to me.  But I tried these on, walked around, and I like them.  


And yes, I got that color.


And I will definitely be seen on the road.  With those and this outfit:





Yeah, I know it's bright. 


I've also put up a motivational  board in my bathroom:



The top right has a line up of my before to present day pictures, which I still am not confident enough to post on a blog, but one day, I will.


My Bible verse this week comes from Hebrews, and it reminds me that I still have to keep pushing, even though it seems like a daunting task:


"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."  Hebrews 12:11-13


No discipline seems pleasant at the time.  The Lord disciplines me daily.  He makes me wait for answer to prayers.  He tells me no to things I really, really want.  And he shows me daily that my desires and His will are often at odds.  And you know what, His will blows my desire out of the water.  


My running is my discipline on myself.  When I get up at 5:30am, even when I could sleep another 30 minutes, I am telling my feeble arms and weak knees that even through this discipline, this frail body that I have been gifted will be in better shape when I am finished with it.  When I have molded it and shaped it, it will work not perfectly in the way that I wish it to, but it will more or less do as I need it to.


God does that with all of us.  He molds us, pushes us, disciplines us, and though we are still not perfect in the end, He uses us to do His will daily.  We have to get up early, strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees, and head out the door.  In perfect weather, freezing weather, pouring rain, 100+ degree heat, through mud puddles that destroy our new shiny shoes, and facing a head wind that might knock us over.  Just like my body trusts my mind to know how far to push it, God knows how far to push us.  All we have to do is listen and go through the training.


I am so thankful for each day I can get up and run.  I am thankful for every pound that I lift, yes, for every injury I feel, and for sore muscles the next morning.