Are You Running on Empty?

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

We’re running a spiritual race. These verses imply much more than a one-time 100 meter dash. What clues us into this is the word “endurance.” Dictionary.com defines it as, “the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.” It implies distance, prolonged time and effort. It means being in it for the long haul. When you start talking about long-distance races, like a marathon, one of the key elements of training is centered on what you’re putting into your body – how are you fueling?

If I told you I was going to run another marathon and my plan was to skip all the water stations and ignore the snacks and sports drinks offered along the way because I just knew I had this in the bag and my own determination would be enough to get me through, what would you say?

I hope you would laugh in my face because that’s ridiculous right?! No matter the athleticism, hours of training, or strength of will, the human body is not designed to run 26.2 miles without water and/or restored levels of carbohydrates. Even the superhuman two hour marathoners grab a swig of water every now and again along the course!

Water and carbs are necessary to every marathoner. Another way to put it: if you want to cross that finish line, fueling along the way is not optional. To go the distance, you must.

I remember getting to the chapter in my “Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” when they discuss the basics of fueling during a marathon. I was taken aback when the instructions said to drink 6-8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes or every couple of miles. My reaction: “Ridiculous! That’s SO much liquid going into my body!”  At that point in my training I had run up to 8 miles and I was fine without bringing along a water bottle. But, me being the disciplined human I am, followed the training advice and bought a runner’s water bottle, which straps to the hand so you don’t have to grip it. Even on my short 3-4 mile runs I began to bring it along so I could practice drinking every couple miles, because how else would my body get used to it? It was a great thought, but a struggle to execute. I wouldn’t get thirsty so I would forget to drink and end up back home with a full water bottle. Even as my runs increased in length, I would just take little sips here and there instead of the full 6-8 ounces because I would usually be feeling just fine and didn’t think I needed it.

It wasn’t until my first 16 miler when the words of hydration wisdom finally hit home. Know why? It’s because halfway through my run I ran out of water. The summer sun beat down on me, sweat poured down my face and arms. Each stride took a concerted effort and my mind lost focus – cringing at my phone seeing only .25 miles had passed since I last looked. I was dehydrated and hating life. I didn’t plan ahead to leave an additional bottle along my route or plan a route that went by a water fountain. So, there I was: slowly moving forward, tired and thirsty, my own stubbornness willing me on. Little doubts started to whisper in the back of my mind, “If you can’t even finish this run, just 16, how are you going to run 10.2 more on top of that?”

Want to know one of the first things I did after that run (after stretching and consuming two Gatorades)? I opened up to the fueling chapter in my book and read it again – much more closely this time.

Water is vital to human survival, so it is no surprise it is just as vital when putting your body through the trauma of running a long-distance race. The same can be said for our spiritual race. As believers, our faith journey, following Christ, is long-distance. It is a lifelong process. Because of that, we need water along the way to keep going – it isn’t optional. The reality is this: hydrate or die. If we don’t, we will experience spiritual dehydration. Your fervor and passions can start to dry out and you begin to lose focus and perspective.

So, where is this water found?

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

This is Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman at a well offering her Living Water – Himself. In Jesus there is forgiveness, redemption, joy, peace, and hope – abundant life! This is found through a lasting and abiding relationship with Him – spending time in prayer, talking with Him about your innermost thoughts, hopes, desires, struggles, etc. Oftentimes prayer can turn into a monologue rather than a dialogue, so we need to remember it also means listening. Just sitting in His presence and being still; hearing what He has to say. By drinking Him in, by cultivating a daily relationship with Him, you will be filled up and refreshed. You will be made strong. You will be able to keep running, keep living, no matter what comes your way – stressors, tragedy, or suffering. You can keep going because you are not relying on yourself, but on the source of your very life: Living Water, Jesus.

The key point here is we need to be drinking consistently, daily. Even if we feel strong and full some days or in certain seasons, we must always drink – every couple of miles, right? If we only drink from Him when we think we need it or are dying of thirst, it’s much harder to catch up – much like my first 16 mile run disaster. We need to drink early and often because truly, we are drinking for later in the race when it gets even harder to endure. Drinking in His presence, His promises, and getting to know His voice above all others is what will sustain us as we continue to go and when things get difficult down the road.

But water isn’t the only fuel source needed during a marathon. My training book also offered up words of wisdom on re-stocking carbohydrates because that’s what the body burns while running to produce energy. When your body runs out of the glycogen/carbohydrate stores, your body will hit the proverbial “wall.” Full exhaustion hits and you feel like you can’t take another step – all of your energy is depleted. Because of this it is crucial to fuel and hydrate early and often during the marathon (even when you don’t think you need it) because you’re really drinking/eating for later on in the race when your body gets tired. It’s much easier to fuel up before and often as you go than waiting until you hit the depletion point and try to build your stores back up from there.

Because of this, many runners drink a sports drink, or eat energy gels or chews along the way in addition to drinking water – to keep those carbs stocked. For me, I tried Gu energy gels (little 100 calorie gels packed with amino acids and carbohydrates) and they clicked right away with my body. So, I began to practice consuming Gu along the way – one every five miles. I started to look forward to my vanilla bean flavored Gu – it would help break up the run and was like a reward to myself as well as a boost to keep going another five miles.

I’m sure you can see where this next parallel to our spiritual race comes from. What is a main source of carbs in your daily diet?

Bread.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

Jesus is Living Water and He is the Bread of Life. He nourishes. He fulfills the deep spiritual longings of your soul. In Him alone can you be satisfied. Again, it is crucial that we come to Him regularly, daily in order to be fed. Prayer is a way to do this (as mentioned earlier) as is spending time in the Bible. Dig into the Word and see for yourself what He is like, what He promises, and what He is still speaking to you (and the world) today.  The Word of God is active and moving. I guarantee if you spend consistent time in the Word, meditating on it, praying through it, you will see radical change in your heart and perspective as the Holy Spirit works in you, transforming you. You’re gaining energy and building strength. And just as there are several types of carb-loading snacks for runners (gels, chews, bars, etc.) there are so many ways to spend time with Jesus and hear His voice (prayer, worship, Bible reading, journaling, art, nature, etc.) The list could go on! Experiment and find what works best for you. The beauty of it is there are endless ways God speaks to His children.

But, be aware there are other sources of fuel out there. There is such a thing as bad carbs, which my training book was quick to point out. Unfortunately it listed several of the items I enjoyed eating: doughnuts, pizza, sweets, French fries, white bread, chips, ice cream, etc. In order to run 26.2 miles, I had to fuel regularly and be sure that fuel was good fuel! About five miles into one of my long runs I panicked because the gurgling and bubbling started in my stomach and lower parts. I needed a bathroom and needed it bad! I felt heavy and gross the whole run even after relieving myself in the nearest porta-potty (yes, praise the Lord, I made it just in time). I realized my Pizza Hut dinner the night before had repaid my body quite mercilessly, making the run one of my least favorites to date. It hadn’t tasted bad going down and I felt full and good to go that morning, but once I got into the run, reality hit. I hadn’t given my body the proper fuel it needed to run well.

In the same way, there are other sources of fuel out there we love to fill ourselves up on: affirmation from others, success in work and relationships, social media, TV shows and movies, exercise, etc. I would not say any of those are inherently bad, but everything in moderation right? There is a real danger in filling up on these in place of Jesus, our Living Water and Bread of Life. Maybe you won’t notice it right away, but over time, these things will satisfy less and less. You’ll wonder why you feel empty – like something is missing. You might feel anxious and worried all the time, perhaps less hopeful than you once were. It’s because you’re not giving your soul the proper fuel it needs to run well.

So much emphasis on spiritually fueling consistently and often – does it really make that much of a difference?

YES.

You might not notice it right away, but as you keep moving through this life, it will make all the difference in the world. You might even begin to wonder how you ever thought you could run without Him! Jesus promises being with Him is what makes the difference between death and life (Ephesians 2:5 & John 10:10). It’s what He promises when He talks about abundant life. We must abide in Him (drink the Living Water, eat up the Bread of Life) if we are to bear fruit that lasts. Soon you get excited and eagerly look forward to your daily time with Him (much like I looked forward to water and Gu during the marathon). It fills you up to keep going another day and maintain focus and perspective.

Because I had trained eating and drinking during my runs, on marathon day, fueling along the way was like second nature. I faithfully drank at every water station and ate a Gu every five miles. Despite a knee issue, I felt strong the whole race. Seeing the blue water station flags billowing on the horizon every couple miles was like a shot of energy: a promise that refreshment wasn’t far away.

I never hit the wall. Around miles 19/20 people started walking a lot more, slowing down, and some dropping off altogether. But not me! What’s odd is that was when I felt most energized. As the cold rain pelted my arms, my shirt, shorts, and shoes soaked, I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face as I rounded the corner after the Franklin Avenue Bridge. I remember laughing out loud with giddiness as I high-fived volunteers along the way.  It was a combination of realizing I had now run farther than I ever had in my life and knowing with absolute certainty I was going to finish this marathon. A decisive factor of making it to this point of elation at miles 19/20 was fueling – it had been consistent throughout the race. (Other factors included my pace, mindset, and people around me, but we will get into those in the next couple of blogs.)

The main point of all of this: fueling isn’t optional. If you’re running this race, following Christ, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. How is my race going? Do I feel energized, confident, strong? Weary, weak? Bored, complacent?
2. What fuel am I consuming? Is there fuel I need to eat/drink less of or possibly cut out completely?
3. When do I drink Living Water/eat the Bread of Life? Is it only when I reach the dehydration or depletion point?
4. What does/could fueling well and often look like in my own life?

Next week: Are You Doing Too Much?