Hitting the Wall

The Shamrock Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) is one month away and I am in intense training. Today I did eleven miles and my legs, feet and hind-parts are feeling it--I've never gone that far non-stop in my life.

I think I hit "the wall" that hear athletes--especially runners-- talk about. Actually I found that there are several walls:

The wall of boredom: a couple of hours of "alone time" with no conversation other than that little voice(s) inside my head. My A.D.D. was kicking in big time!

The wall of fatigue: Just plain tired.

The wall of pain: the soreness, is no fun! But it was worse when I stopped after finishing my goal distance for the day.

All of these "walls" mark a point where I just wanted to quit. But as I think about it, these are familiar walls to most everyone, most every day--walls we encounter in most every area of our lives.

Whether it's one's job, relationships, finances, educational pursuits, etc. we all inevitably encounter periods of fatigue, boredom and pain. What do you do when you "hit the wall"? There are only two choices really--either stop or keep going. Pull out or push through. Quit or persevere.

As Woody Allen says, "Eighty percent of success is just showing up." Just stay in the contest and keep going. The Apostle Paul said it like this: "one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize..." (Philippians 3:13-14)

There are times when it is wise to quit. Albert Einstein is said to have defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

How do you tell when it's time to stick it out or pack it up? I don't have the wisdom to know the difference most of the time. One of the best things about being a Christ follower is having relationship and conversation with the One is who wiser than I, who encourages me when it's time to press on, and counsels me when it's time to move on. Something to think about next time I hit a wall.