From Marathon to Puny in Three Months

My Puny Body

I sucked in deep gulps of air, and kicked my foot out of my toe clips. Whew! That hill grew since the last time I rode up it, I thought. My gelatinous legs could barely support me as I dragged off my backpack and dug around for a protein bar.

“Let’s go!” Pedro called out to the group of students in front of me, and they all took off down the trail. I continued to cram my protein bar into my mouth, washing it down with big slurps of water.

I hoped the food would balance my blood sugar levels, because I felt a little light-headed. Fortunately, my twenty-nine inch tires floated over the loose rocks and exposed tree roots. My weak arms could barely steer the bike in a straight line. My puny-feeling upper body could only manage to grip the handlebars. How long had it been since I’d actually done a push up? My face flushed with heat (or shame). I hadn’t opened my Fit Star app in months, either. If no one tells me to do push ups, well, I won’t do them.

Unfortunately, I had lost all feeling in my posterior. My thighs ached from gripping the saddle as I stood and leaned back each time I rode downhill.

Each time I caught up with the slowest student, I’d shout out encouraging words and technique tips (whichever they seemed to need the most). Sure, my own bike-handling skills seemed ok, but I wondered if this intermediate nine-mile mountain bike ride would kill me. I felt so weak and puny.

What Went Wrong?

Two months ago, I completed my first marathon, and now I could scarcely survive a mountain-bike ride. I guess it goes to show that if a gal doesn’t exercise vigorously, she’ll fall out of condition pretty quickly. I spent my summer traveling. My last strenuous hike occurred in late June.

Of course, I hadn’t quit exercising cold-turkey. I still managed to get my 11,000 steps a day in—only most of them accrued from walking with my grandson or wandering around wildlife refuges in search of birds. I could blame the elevation change—I spent most of the summer near sea level—or I could blame the stress of the first week of a new school year.

Or I could just blame myself, because I hadn’t made running a priority all summer long. Like a lot of things in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Evidently, I lost it.

Puny Faith

Likewise, if we don’t use our faith on a regular basis, it will grow weak and puny. I remember when I got baptized, I expected that I would no longer make mistakes or get in trouble.

If we don't exercise our faith on a regular basis, it will grow weak and puny. #BGBG2 Click To Tweet

Of course, instead of getting to know Jesus better, I focused on ‘doing church right.’ It took another four years for me to figure out that relationship mattered more than rule-keeping or religion. It took a few more years for me to discover that the King James Bible wasn’t the only translation (and I love how now I can find just about any version of the Bible on the free YouVersion app).

And for the last 37 years, I’ve tried to spend time daily exercising my faith. At times, my puny efforts don’t amount to much more than scanning a few Bible verses and a prayer flung heavenward. And when trials or calamities hit, I can gauge my spiritual condition by my reaction. If I gasp, weep, and feel beaten down by the devil’s first darts, I know I have reverted to my puny pursuit of Jesus.

When I hunger after him and seek to know more, think more, and love more, I find it easier to face impossible situations. I can smile as I pause to listen to Hope speak my name.

Inspire Me Monday Instructions

What’s your inspirational story? Link up below, and don’t forget the 1-2-3s of building community:

1. Link up your favorite posts from last week!

2. Visit TWO other contributors (especially the person who linked up right before you) and leave an encouraging comment.

3. Spread the cheer THREE ways! Tweet something from a post you read, share a post on your Facebook page, stumble upon it, pin it or whatever social media outlet you prefer—just do it!

Don’t forget to visit our other #InspireMeMonday host site over at Blessed (but Stressed)!