Week 2, Workouts 2, 3 and 4

Hey everyone!

Just want you all to dig a little deeper into this week's first devotional verse:

 1 Corinthians 9:24 
"Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."



Sounds pretty exclusive, doesn't it? I mean, what if we all train just as hard as everyone else, but only one gets the winner's prize. Why did Paul say "run in such a way as to get the prize"?


The answer is in the subsequent verses, 25, 26 and 27:
"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."


The prize for us who follow Jesus is everlasting. Not only that, all who train hard (that is, live a life that glorifies the One who saved us by obeying His commands) all win in the end! Our training, whether it be for a 5K race or longer -- or more important, training to live a life that glorifies God -- is not without purpose. It has a definite goal that will be attained when all is said and done. It's not easy -- it takes discipline. And that is the root of the word disciple ... and if we consider ourselves disciples of Jesus, training hard and consistently and with discipline is a way of life, not just something we do to get in shape or to prepare for a one-time race.


Workout 2, 3 and 4 (which is the Saturday group workout)  are similar as workout 1 for those of you who are just starting out: 


Start with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk.  Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for 20 minutes.  Follow that with a 5-minute cool-down walk. 



Total Workout = 30 Minutes

Ideally, your week should look like this:

Saturday (group workout)
Sunday, Workout 1
Tuesday, Workout 2
Thursday, Workout 3

The every other day gives your muscles, which in most cases are not quite used to this, a chance to recover, heal and get stronger for the next workout. And, in distance running, each workout builds on the workout before it. The effect is cumulative; the more consistently you train, the stronger your body gets, and the more distance work it can handle.

For those of you who are intermediate to advanced (that is, you've trained consistently for the last three to six months, and your longest run is at least 6 miles or a hour's worth of running), keep to what you've been doing so far.

One more thing: We're still open for more people to join, so please, please, please spread the word.

We meet every Saturday at 7 a.m. at Mountain Gate Park in Corona, in the lower parking lot (the one immediately behind the Albertsons shopping center). The official address is 3100 South Main Street.