Tuesday Talk ~ Learning to Rest

I am the kind of person who loves to be on the go.  I don’t like to sit still for very long, even a movie is hard for me to get through unless it’s late at night.  I had been training for a half-marathon for the past couple months, when all of the sudden, an ankle injury struck! I was concerned at first, but did not think much of it.  Then the pain did not go away, instead it seemed to increase.  I asked some friends, talked to my doctor and physical therapist, and prayed a whole lot.  Through research I found out that I had peroneal tendonitis.  I was devastated, but through much prayer and encouragement from family and friends, I began to feel better emotionally and physically.  Now, as of today, two weeks later exactly, I ran five miles pain free! Praise the Lord, without Him none of this would be possible.  Through this experience I have learned a lot.

1. Learn to rest.

Listening to your body is important, if that means one day off take the day off, sometimes, like for me, it meant a whole eight days off from running.  Although hard, we need to take the time to let our bodies recover from the stress we put on them with exercise, any form.  Especially when injured, we need to let ourselves recover properly, so we can get back into our sport as soon as possible.

2.  Get new shoes often

Apparently, I have been reminded to make sure to get new shoes every 300-500 miles.  I’ve had mine for a year and a half.  Already this year I am over 500 miles.  Woops. Hello new Brooks.

3.  While resting still fuel properly.

It is still important to fuel your body properly when resting.  It is tempting to think we need to cut back calories or amount of food because we are not running as much, but our bodies still need the nutrients.  Fuel. fuel. fuel. It’s vital for vibrant living.

4.  Most importantly- my God is big.

I had so many friends, family, and strangers praying for me.  Psalm 66:19 “But truly God has listened; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.”  I have been blessed by knowing many prayer warriors and am so grateful to the Lord for healing my ankle/tendon.  All glory be to His name! May I run for His glory- this half- marathon and all my runs!

Draw near to the Lord- He listens to our requests, listen to your bodies, rest when you need to, nourish properly, get new shoes if you need them (you’re welcome for the excuse!), and enjoy the beauty of life.

~Bethany