I trust that by sharing these lessons, God will encourage those of you who know Him to run in such as way as to get that crown that will last forever. And for those of you yet to begin this journey, I pray that this article will inspire you to get in the race.

by Cheryl Taylor

In the spring of 2002, I embarked upon a previously unimaginable journey. I was "coerced," to put it mildly, to run in the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon. Various charitable organizations sponsor training programs for the marathon and I started training with the Aids Marathon group to benefit the Whitman Walker Clinic.

While building up to the 26.2 mile goal, the 26-week training program consisted of group runs on the weekends supplemented by individual "maintenance" runs during the week. In the Bible, the Apostle Paul often refers to our spiritual journey as a race and compares our Christian training to the way that an athlete trains and disciplines his body. With each passing week, I came to understand that my participation in this event was no accident; As God uses all of our experiences, He was using even this as encouragement and instruction for the bigger race that we call "life."

There are several interesting parallels between the marathon training guidebook and the instructions in the Bible that enable us to serve Christ with purpose. I trust that by sharing these lessons, God will encourage those of you who know Him to run in such as way as to get that crown that will last forever. And for those of you yet to begin this journey, I pray that this article will inspire you to get in the race.

Introduction
Rule #1 - You don't have to "look" like a runner
Rule #2 - It's not a competition
Rule #3- Find a good pace group
Rule #4 - He who endures shall receive a crown
Rule #5- Don't look back
Rule #6- Drink water, drink water, drink water
Rule #7- Beware of the wall
Final Thoughts

Marathon Photograph © Larry Malvin. www.LMphotography.com. Used by permission.