endurance training

Renée Antrosio – March 7, 2023 1 Comment

Track season has begun! Talking with a 6th grader Sunday, I remembered the exhilaration of team practices and debating which events to choose. Long Saturdays on the bus, inevitable sunburns, and the joy of junk food at the concession stand. Some of us liked roaming the infield with packs of friends more than the actual competition. I was a decent athlete, but basketball was my true love, not running. 

So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Hebrews 12:1a (CEB)

What is the race set before us? I used to imagine this as a sprint- each person in her own lane, competitors on either side, an individual best effort. Lately I’ve been thinking that it is more like a marathon. I need to pace myself for the long haul. Hydrate, snacks, and bathroom breaks. I can’t answer every email every day. I need to prioritize training and sleep. 

Maybe this race is more like a relay, where the baton handoff is critical, and teamwork is essential. Hm, the scripture says us– let us, in front of us, since we have, surrounding us. I appreciate the leaders who’ve gone before me, those who began the race, got us off to a good start. I think about the handoff zone, those moments of running alongside a teammate as one completes their leg and the next takes the baton and begins to pick up speed. Once the first catches their breath, they begin to cheer for their teammate, and the third runner prepares to step into place.

I am reminded that while we submitted our preference of which races we wanted to run, the coaches decided where each athlete would best perform for the good of the team. Each meet was different. As the season progressed, runners found their stride and talents emerged. Individuals were injured or absent and someone else needed to step into a new role for the good of the whole. Coaching decisions can make all the difference.

As a parent, I preferred cross country meets in forest preserves. Longer courses in cooler settings, with less “wasted” downtime between events. When the writer of Hebrews notes the need for endurance, a cross country race seems a fitting analogy. Hills to climb, sometimes running with friends cheered by witnesses, sometimes seemingly alone on an isolated part of the course. 

Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1b-2 (CEB)

As the day warms on a long race, runners shed sweatshirts and leap over branches in their path. The sinful systems of our society would trip us up, laden us down with their baggage. We focus on our hero, the older brother who went before us, who refused and refuted the lies of shame. Jesus glimpsed the joy ahead, in the midst of the pain he endured, and has taken his rightful seat.

If you feel like you are running alone, in a scary part of the forest, may you be assured that your team surrounds you. If you are weary, may the witnesses of faith hand your power snacks and cheer you on. If you need to sit and rest a minute, may you feel your teammates rubbing your back, supplying you with water. We are not the first or the last; Jesus is both the lead runner and the anchor. May we encourage each other and strengthen our endurance. And for all those parents of middle-schoolers in track, may you receive an extra measure of endurance for this leg of the race. -Renée