QUESTION: Is Coffee BAD for long distance runners?

ANSWER:

"No"

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What i feel like if I don't have coffee before a run...

for some real sources of coffee and long distance running...

Runners World - 8 things you should know about coffee

Is coffee bad for long distance runner?

a runner's guide to coffee

Is your journey worth your life?

I feel like Skydiving is a cheap thrill, especially if it involves skydiving with cars.

A temporary experience of fulfillment.  Excitement and danger converge and well up within us a sense of being "fully alive."

Similar to many commercials on TV.  

A couple weeks ago I was sitting and watching TV.  There was a commercial about a girl who got a new pair of jeans, and instantly she was happy.  She started dancing like a fully alive person.  She danced on chairs and you could tell she was happy.

"If only I get those jeans, an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement will well up out of me and I'll burst apart, right?"

We are seeking things that don't fulfill and amidst this realization we still intensely seek after them.

A band named "The Lighthouse and the Whaler" have a song called "Burst Apart."

A lyrics from this song:

"The journey is worth your life..."

Since first hearing this song, this lyric has mulled around in my head.  I can't stop thinking about how essential finding a "journey worth your life" is.  Especially to finding fulfillment, meaning and purpose.

It would be disappointing if becoming "fully alive" was as easy as purchasing jeans or skydiving in some remote village.

Our journeys must be better than that.  We must be willing to give our lives to them.

What journey is worth our life?

Our life is one of our most precious gifts.

What if our ultimate purpose and meaning can be found amidst an orchestrated story with a Creator?  Where we realize, our story, our life is but a small piece of a grand scheme.

What if our life, our meaning, our story is more than ourselves, but rather about something bigger?    

The Awake My Sole journey was based out of striving after Jesus.  It's crazy to think the running & speaking portion of the yearlong journey is finished, however the journey overall journey has only begun.

Whether you are an "extreme-thrill-seeking-sports-athlete" jumping out of planes or a business woman with a routine job, you can fully be alive amidst striving after something bigger.

Ultimately I know my life is not my own, but God's, and I attempt daily to be aware of the journey I am on.

Is the journey you are on worth your life?

Scheduling REST into our busy lives

Charley resting after a long day of running from Iowa City to Grinnell.

Everyone needs rest, including Charley.  Life comes at us fast, and if we don't schedule "restful moments" into our schedules, we'll get burned out (or get sick).

Definition of Rest: "To refresh oneself, as by sleeping, lying down, or relaxing" and "Refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion of labor."  

Before setting off on the AMS journey, this is how Jim chose where he would be running-to & speaking-in.  Rocks and a Iowa Map.   

In preparing for the yearlong Awake My Sole journey across the state of Iowa, wisdom suggested incorporating "restful moments" into the journey.  We wanted to make sure to get good rest, especially with pursuing such a labor intense occupation over a long period of time.

Jim was hosted in Bellevue Iowa this summer.  He got to REST in a old Volkswagon bus for a week.  This was his most unique resting quarters.  "No journey across the state of Iowa is complete without staying in a VW bus."       

Restful moments offer us a time to reset our inner compass, to reflect, to dream, to pray, to enjoy some quiet time, to enjoy the simple things of life.

Jim grabbing a cup of coffee at Toad's Coffee Shop in Spencer Iowa during his scheduled rest week.  

Scheduled restful moments in the Awake My Sole journey include:  

• Every Tuesday morning, after a long running day, Jim rests by sleeping in.
• Every Fifth week, after running and speaking for four weeks, Jim takes a week of rest.  He sleeps in, disconnects from social media, and tries to participate in activities he enjoys, like going for walks or reading books.

When was the last time you were able to rest?

Are you getting enough "restful moments" in your life?

A Friendly Suggestion: Grab your calendar and block out a morning, day, weekend OR week for a "restful moment. 

During this upcoming "REST WEEK" for Awake My Sole, we hope to spend some quality time discerning the NEXT STEPS of AMS...