Eeek!

So I've kind of fallen off the wagon as far as blogging is concerned. I guess things have just bee pretty busy around here.  I got back from Colorado and was sick for a while, so that didn't help things, then as soon as I was better (actually before I was better but I couldn't afford to put it off any longer) training for the half marathon started. Training has been going well, but its amazing how difficult it has been for me to fit running 4 times a week into my life. I work til 5:30 every day and last week the weather was no good so I had to go to the gym to get my running in. By the time I got off work, made it to the gym, ran, got home, got showered and got dinner, there wasn't much time left. Add to it young life and celebrating Derek's birthday, my in-laws coming into town, etc., it has just been really busy.

I've wondered if this is really worth it if it is really so hard to fit all this running into my schedule, but the race is only 8 weeks away, so I feel like I should be able to stick with it, even if it does mean not having as much time for other things.

This has been a really good lesson in discipline and prioritizing, because there are things that I have to say no to, times when I have to make myself do something I don't want to, and just the practice of planning out my week in advance so that I make sure that I can run on the days that I need to. This has been interesting. Becuse 13.1 miles seems like such a far distance to run, I know that if I have any chance of actually doing it I need to stick to the training schedule I am on and make sure that I get all my runs in. I am willing to sacrifice and plan ahead because when I think about what would happen on the day of the race if I wasn't diligent in my training, it scares me.

I wish I had this kind of motiviation in my relationship with Christ. I am not very good at waking up in the morning, so I am usally more of an evening or during the day quiet time kind of girl. But it frustrates me how easily I can let other things take the place of my time with Christ. I don't plan ahead to make sure that I will have time to spend with Christ, and I don't say no to other things so that I can make sure that I get my time with Him in. It is so frustrating. With the race, I see the very real consequences of what will happen if I don't get my runs in. But in my relationship with Christ, if I don't get that time in, I think it's no big deal, I will do it another day. And that is so NOT true - at all! My time with Christ every day is way more important than whether or not I go for a run or if I even run this race. But my brain for some reason can't comprehend the negative impacts that will result in my not spending time with Christ every day. I wish this were not the case. It makes me so disappointed with myself.

I feel like I should note that it's not that I don't ever spend time with Christ - because I do. I just let it slip way more than I should and as I see how disciplined I am being in order to run a race, it just really sticks out to me how not disciplined I am in my relationship with Christ. So frustrating. You can feel free to pray for me, because I feel like I could say that I will try to do better, but on my own power it won't happen. I need the power of the Holy Spirit to get it into my brain that my time with Christ is the most important thing I could do any day.

I should also note that I can't totally blame my lack of blogging on running. I don't run that much. It has mostly been a lack of inspiration. Hopefully that will change.