Signed up for the Melbourne Marathon

Running is something I have enjoyed doing for the past ten years of my life. It is the best way to keep fit, I feel better after a run, I breathe better, I think clearer and there's this sense of satisfaction. All I need is a pair of runners, comfortable clothes to run in, road to run and I would be off. 

But over the years, it has become harder and harder to get myself up for a run. There seems to be tons of other things that require my attention (housework, reading interesting stuff on the internet, lying on the couch..) so I push it to the next day or the next weekend. 

Back in my uni days, I was in the varsity sprint kayaking team; there was that extra motivation not just to run but to really train -  every run had to be better than the last run and there would always be someone in front that I could catch up with. But these days, I no longer feel motivated to run faster or further and I kinda miss that. 

So I have decided to set a goal for myself, give myself a bit of a challenge and signed up for the Melbourne Marathon! It is going to take place on the 10th of Oct 2010 (awesome date - 10.10.10) which means I have just over 6 weeks to train for the event. Yes it seems a bit short but I reckon it will be enough. Anyway my goal is just to complete the marathon in 6 hours. I believe it's doable.   

On a similar note on setting goals, I think everyone needs a goal in life. It makes life much more meaningful and purposeful. Some time back I watched a Ted talk given by Dan Buettner who talked about How to live to be 100+ and he brought up a Japanese word Ikigai which means "the reason for being" or "something important one lives for" and how this 100 year old fisherman from Okinawa continues to catch fish 3 times a week for his family because that is his Ikigai. Of course there are a lot of other factors that lead to longevity for that 100 year old fisherman other than knowing his Ikigai, but having that sense of purpose can make life so much more worth living. 

Two weeks ago a special speaker came to my church and he shared about how our sense our purpose should come from our source of life. If our source of life is God (meaning we rely on Him), our sense of purpose would come from Him. He knows exactly what is best for us so it makes perfect sense to follow Him, although we may not fully understand the purpose He has for us and it would not be easy to follow through. On the other hand, we could rely on ourselves and try to make up our own sense of purpose, it will be easier to follow through but it wouldn't make sense because we don't know the big picture like God does.

The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14 (NIV) -  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

I also like this version in The Message - "but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus. I'm off and running , and I'm not turning back."

I think there is nothing this world can offer that can beat what God can offer. So yes, one of my short term goals is to run the Melbourne Marathon but  I have decided that my ultimate goal in life is to go ahead and run after God like what Paul did.