The Treadmill Adaptation

I just got back from the gym and thought I'd blog about the mental process I endure while on the treadmill, something similar to the Christian life. It's been a metaphor I've been perfecting since I started being serious about getting a good cardio workout. I don't think it has yet reached perfection, but it's getting there. If ever I become a preacher (which will probably be never but you never know ;P) I'll have my first illustration. So here goes.

I've had asthma since I was 5 years old. When I was growing up, it deterred me from being actively involved in sports, although I did try to test my limits which almost always ended up with me in the hospital hooked up to an oxygen tank. Still, I was able to play basketball all through elementary and eighth grade. Because volleyball didn't require too much running (shortness of breath triggered my asthma attacks) I played until Grade 11. I could've continued, and I wish I had, but I decided to focus on my academics in my last year of high school. So that ended my athletic career. Since then, I play volleyball leisurely (mainly at functions like fam camps where it's just for fun) and stay away from sports that require a lot of running. Until now...dum dum dum.

When I first started going to the gym consistently I always dreaded the thought of running on the treadmill, even though I knew it would probably be the best means of a cardio workout in the shortest amount of time. I started out with 5 minutes and man, was it a struggle! Anyway, to get to the point. I've hit the 20 minute mark in the past couple of months but it is never easy. I no longer have to take my inhaler nor do I struggle to breath during or after I run, but the push to get started and the endurance to keep going, especially when I feel tired, are always obstacles I have to face. And in many ways, running on a treadmill is like the race we run as children of God.

I always have to mentally prepare myself for my cardio workout. I can't just hop on the treadmill and start running. Because a huge aspect of my workout is mental, I need to be focused otherwise I'll wimp out half way through. I start off at a slow and steady pace and move forward from there when I feel focused and ready to take on more speed and incline. Sometimes I'll top off at 5.5 and run that speed the whole way through, and that's okay. What matters the most to me is that I don't finish early or take a break. I want to keep on running, no matter how slow I go or how tired and sweaty I am. It's about finishing at that 20 minute mark. It's a bonus if I run longer, which I'm trying to do now hehe. There are times when I feel so tired and I'm only at 12 minutes. My mind wages war against my body and I'm tempted to reason with myself on the premise that I did pretty good considering I have asthma. But then I tell myself, I don't want to use that excuse. I don't want that to handicap my will to endure because of a physical ailment that (and I thank God) hasn't surfaced in a while. And when I reach that 20 minutes, I feel darn good that I stayed on for the whole run through and didn't give up.

You make the comparisons ;)