You’ve been told from a young age, “Choose your friends carefully”. Of course, in your head you’re like, “blah blah blah…”. But, ya know what? It is the truth.
The other day I was running with a group of friends. These friends are faster runners than I am, but they have never looked at me any differently. In fact, they’ve actually helped me become a better, and faster, runner.
They’ve never said, “I think it’s time for you to pick up your pace”. Nope. They’ve never said a thing. So what’s changed? Actually, it’s pretty simple. If I run with faster people, and want to stay in their group without them leaving me in the dust, I have to keep the same pace as them. So, by choosing to run with faster people, I have gotten faster.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed that makes them faster runners:
- They pick their knees up higher than I do. This causes faster turnover, and helps their form. Think about when you sprint, your legs lift higher. You don’t have, “lazy foot”. Simple, right?
- They’ve mentioned to me that I don’t swing my arms enough. I hold them too close to my body. This causes my legs to unnecessarily work harder, which can tire me out faster.
- I don’t stop as long as I used too at a water break. Their breaks are quick. Waiting around too long can cause your muscles to tighten up, and even break your running rhythm. And, it changes your heart rate.
This all goes back to when you were younger. “Choose your friends carefully”. If you hang out with people with a positive influence, you will become just like them. But, on the other side, if you choose to hang out with people who pull you down with their bad influence, you’ll begin to make stupid choices, too.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.”
So today, I encourage you to look at who you’re hanging around with. Are they people who bring you up? Or people who pull you down? Can you learn beneficial things by simply observing their life?
Go make a difference. Choose wisely. And always, Run By Faith!
TommyRunByFaith 