Monday, September 18, 2006

Of Little Profit

1 Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Billy and I have started into our training routine for the Disney World Marathon. Here’s how the training goes:
  • Monday – short run: 3 to 5 miles; weight training
  • Tuesday – cross train: 4 mile walk

  • Wednesday – medium run: 5 to miles

  • Thursday – same as Monday

  • Friday – rest

  • Saturday – long run: 8 to 20 miles

  • Sunday – rest

Now, I can hear all you Rick Warren hating legalists quoting “bodily exercise profits little” from that wide, butt-shaped dent in your couch. I know bodily exercise profits only a little, but it’s probably a little more profitable than watching the tube everyday… or blogging.

For years I ran without a walkman or cd player because that equipment just chafed me. It bounced around and was generally a hassle. Last year I started using the iPod Shuffle, but that thing hangs on a rope around your neck. I short-circuited not one, but two Shuffles by bathing them in sweat. So I bit the bullet and bought the full blown iPod. I hate coughing up the cash trendy electronics, so I bought a first generation iPod from my buddy Chris after he upgraded to the new black iPod with the mini TV screen. And, boy, am I glad. It's made my running a little more profitable.

So, while I run, I listen to free podcast messages downloaded from Al Gore’s great invention, the internet. On Mondays and Thursdays, Bob Coy’s message on the Active Word is the perfect length for a short run. Tuesdays, I’ll catch Ravi Zacharias, Bob Franquiz, or Dan Plourde. Wednesday, NPR’s Wait, Wait! Don’t Tell Me is a good length for that mid-week run, and on Saturday, I listen to Pastor Mark Driscoll on those long runs. His messages usually last longer than the run does, even if I slow down and walk some.

To help me keep track of my mileage and pace, I strap a Garmin GPS onto my wrist. My goal is to finish the Marathon in less than four hours this year. I’ll let you know how it works out.

1 comment:

Carole Turner said...

I love Ravi! He was interviewed once and they asked him what book other then the bible influenced him the most, he replied "Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton". I had heard of CHesterton through my CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien studies but after Ravi said that, I just knew I had to go buy the book. It was a great book and led me to the great resource that is GK Chesterton.