Start Slow

Start Slow

The principle of starting slow applies to workouts, but especially to long-distance races. Actually, unless you’re a world-class runner, the first five miles in a marathon should be your slowest segment of the race. This pace allows the body to become acclimated to the run and keeps runners from using up their stored resources and burning out.

Centuries ago, King Solomon observed, “The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). His words often prove true, as some runners get caught up in the moment and run hard at the start only to pay for it later.

A bit later, Solomon made the parallel with the spiritual life. Addressing young people, he wrote, “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

The Living Bible paraphrases the last part of the verse this way: “before the evil years come—when you’ll no longer enjoy living.” To put that in running terms, “before you hit the wall, and you’ll no longer enjoy running!”

The Runner

Cheri had put in her miles, rain or shine, and was ready for her first marathon. On race day, she did just as she had planned as to when she got up, what she ate, when she got to the staging area, and how she warmed up. Her friends and family were posted at critical points along the racecourse, ready to cheer her on. And she wore her watch and had her race plan around her wrist to make sure she was on track. She wanted to average nine-minute miles, a nice pace for her that she had been able to maintain in her long training runs. Cheri knew she should start slow and stick to ten-minute miles for the first five.

Bunched with her group at the start, Cheri saw a variety of runners, men and women, old, young, and in-between, of varying heights and weights, some wearing rather colorful outfits. She felt the competitive urge as she figured out who she should be able to beat. Everyone waited in nervous anticipation. Then the gun sounded, and they were off—thousands of feet pounding the pavement. As she swerved around slower runners, she found herself pushing ahead—and she felt great! But then she remembered, “Start slow!” and she was shocked to see that she had zipped through the first mile. Although she hated to do it, and sure didn’t feel like it, Cheri slowed to her ten-minute-per-mile pace and suddenly became one of the slower runners being passed left and right.

Twenty miles later, however, she passed most of those runners and felt as if she still had enough to finish. And she did—for a personal best.

The Race

Excitement and expectations run high at the start of every race. Runners can easily get swept up in all the enthusiasm and with adrenaline pumping, tear off at the sound of the gun. Discipline is needed to maintain the correct, slower pace, even as others pass. Wise and experienced runners know the start is just the beginning, with many miles to follow. And if they want to finish well—or at all—they had better start slow, stretch when needed, and hydrate early (when they don’t feel like it).

Life’s marathon follows a similar route. When we’re young, as Solomon reminds us, we can easily get caught up in the excitement, running this way and that, expending lots of energy with little thought for serious matters such as God or the future. But eventually “the evil years” of old age hit us when “life is not pleasant anymore.” Nothing is sadder than listening to a bitter old person who looks back on life with regrets, voicing, “What if . . . ?” and “If only . . . !” Instead, we ought to honor our Creator right from the start so we can run our race with him. Then, nearing the finish, we can look back at a race well run with no regrets.

The Result

“Starting slow” in life means being serious about education, learning life skills, building solid relationships, and getting grounded in God’s Word. We easily become impatient and try to hurry along the process, but these things take time. If you’re young, the lesson is clear.

If you have blown past those years and are further down the road, you may still need to slow down, to stretch a bit and take nourishment. God wants to do his work in you, and he wants you to finish well.

My Story

Have you ever run in the early morning when the world is still asleep, when the sun has yet to rise and the darkness is lit by only a neighbor’s porch light? You hear and see the things that the bright eyes of daylight don’t reveal: the silence of a neighborhood still dreaming, the patter of your feet as you glide along a deserted street, the hoot of an owl greeting your day. The multitudes of stars fill the sky and sparkle as if freshly polished just for you. The mist rising above the neighborhood pond lends an eerie quality to the morning. And a mailbox is shadowed so it appears as a bystander cheering you on. Yes, running is a one-person sport, but I believe God is sharing himself each and every time we go out for one more run.

Mary

Think It Through

1. Why is a relatively slow start important in a long-distance race?

2. What factors influence young people to start too fast in life? When have you seen someone struggle in middle or late life because of that fast start?

3. When are you tempted to “forget your Creator”?

4. What does “starting slow” mean for you at this stage of life?

On Running

Why is water so important?

Water is vital to the body’s cooling system. When you exercise, your internal body temperature increases and your body needs a way to cool off. One of the ways your body cools is through sweat. As you perspire, the sweat evaporates and allows you to stay cool. Without enough water, you can’t sweat as much, so you can’t cool your skin temperature. The increase in skin temperature causes your core temperature to increase as well. Taking in plenty of water before, during, and after exercise is very important—your body does not make water; it only conserves it.