5k Every Day in the Month of May (Day 8)

Happy Mother’s Day!

What a beautiful evening for a run! I ran a 5k loop through town and back, finishing with a time of 23:41.3. That is an average pace of 7:39 per mile.

My legs are tired. This is the eighth day in a row that I have run at least a 5k, and I am definitely feeling it. I’m not too tired or sore to go on, but I am feeling tired.

Tonight as I was running, I kept thinking to myself, “Come on legs… you can go faster than this!”

It was so strange because I felt like I was moving really quickly, but I was not. My legs were tired, but I was pushing through, and I thought for sure I was running fast, but I was not.

At every mile my Garmin wristwatch vibrates and indicates my average pace during the last mile. Each time it vibrated I held my wrist up to my face. I was thinking, “Probably 7:20 or 7:30…” but it actually said something more like 7:40.

Hmm…

Surely my watch is broken.

For some reason I am prone to think my internal clock is more accurate than my Garmin. Or perhaps I know better, but I really want my internal clock to be counted -regardless of what is right or correct.

One time I was running a 5 mile loop and my Garmin really was messed up. I’m not sure what happened, but somehow the elapsed time was correct -but the mileage was off. My watch said that I ran 6 miles in the time that it actually took me to run 5. I don’t know how that happened, but the results were fantastic!

My watch congratulated me and said that I ran my fastest 6 miles with my fastest 1 mile pace of 5:20.

Now, I know that was a lie, but I kind of liked it. Who cares about the truth when a lie makes you feel so good about yourself!

I was fast! And my watch could prove it!

But it was all a lie.

In reality, I actually did run a pretty fast 5 miles (for me, at least), but the truth of my great run was overshadowed by the lie that I was so tempted to believe.

Perhaps this is what the Bible has in mind when it says,

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:6, ESV)

The truth is our friend. It may not always be what we want to hear, but it is far better than a lie that temporarily feels good but ultimately destroys us.

The truth is that my Garmin is not broken. It works just fine. My legs are tired and I can’t get them to go as fast as I want, but I’m happy with a 7:39 pace on Day 8 of my 5k Every Day in the Month of May challenge.

I could tell you that I had an average pace of 7:20, but that would be a lie. I prefer the truth.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9, ESV)