Running to Win vs. High Performance Cars

I have been an avid runner for over 20 years, but the past 5 years of running have been a struggle due to multiple injuries.  I feel as if I have injured every part of my body at least 3 times during these past 5 years.  As a result, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time and money on orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, physical therapy, and rehabilitation equipment.

My first 15 years of running competitively, even at marathon distances, were virtually pain free.  Why do I feel like I have fallen apart over the past 5 years?  Why does the patellar tracking disorder (aka “runner’s knee”) that prevented me from running a race this past October continue to torment me after 4 months of limited to no running? 

As I have been evaluating my condition and working through a wide assortment of rehabilitation treatments, I keep comparing myself to a car.  Cars come in all shapes, sizes, and performance levels.  I drive a Honda CR-V. 

Honda CR-V EX

This vehicle is ideal for practical minded, busy families with small children.  The oil only needs to be changed every 10,000 miles, so a tire rotation and oil change can be done during the same service appointment.  It takes regular unleaded gasoline and only needs limited maintenance. It gets decent gas mileage and has plenty of cargo capacity which growing families desperately need.  It’s a safe, reliable, economical car.  It’s built for the long haul, but it cannot go very fast (top speed is rated at only 88mph), and it takes a full 9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph.

2009 Bugatti Veyron (photo from Edmunds.com)

My husband likes fast cars.  The Bugatti Veyron is the fastest car on earth.  It’s top speed is 253 mph, and it can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds.  It’s a beautiful car that sits very low to the ground. It seats 2 people and only has 3.5 cu. ft. of cargo space.  Unlike the CR-V, this car is extremely high maintenance.  It needs new Michelin Pilot Sport tires ($10,000) every 2,500 miles and new wheels ($60,000) every 3 tire changes.  Estimated total yearly maintenance costs for this vehicle exceed $300,000.  The list price for this vehicle is a whopping $1,705,769!  This car only gets 8 mpg around the city and 14 mpg on the highway.  It’s fast but very expensive!

Mustang GT

A middle of the road car to consider is the Mustang GT.  The 2007 model’s MSRP was $25,695.  It can reach speeds up to 149 mph.  It gets about 17 miles per gallon around town and 25 mpg on the highway. It has average cargo space and requires average maintenance.  This vehicle's peak horsepower is 300hp at 5700 rpm, and it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.

The following table compares these 3 cars:

When I was young and single, I was in a Mustang GT phase of life.  With a good job and no kids to support, I could afford a fun car with average gas mileage.  I had time for the average maintenance required. I didn't need a lot of cargo space, but traveled enough to need more luggage space than the Bugatti Veyron offered.  I usually had friends in the car with me so I needed seating for more than 2.  During that phase of life, I enjoyed running races at a fast pace with good acceleration.  I usually ran without any injury and recovered within a day of running a full marathon.  I was a strong, fast, solid Mustang GT convertible (or at least I would like to think I was).

Now that I stay home to educate my young children, I need a practical SUV.  I don't have the resources, time, or patience for high maintenance vehicles.  I don't care if my car is fast.  I just want it to get me where I'm going and have enough room for my kids, their car seats, and all their stuff.  I don't have time to shop for a new car anytime soon, so I hope this Honda will last me for many more years and for at least 200,000 miles.

I think the problem I'm having with my running right now is that I'm trying to be a Bugatti Veyron during a Honda CR-V season of life.   My short stature certainly has me running low to the ground like a sports car.  When I did some 1/2 marathon training last fall, my training runs were faster than I had ever run before.  I'm no spring chicken anymore.  Some days I feel like a 1970 Ford Pinto trying to keep up with a Bugatti Veyron, but I'm afraid to slow down lest someone rear-end me causing my fuel tank to explode (1970 Ford Case Papers here). Thankfully, when I was rear-ended this past December, I was in my reliable Honda CR-V!

I have probably run over 20,000 miles in my lifetime.  I desperately need new tires as anyone who has suffered plantar fasciitis has surely proclaimed.  My knees need new lubrication, so an oil change is in order. My lungs could probably use a new air filter, too.   Childbirth and scoliosis have put my pelvis and spinal frame out of alignment which is causing uneven wear on my tires and my joints.  Getting an alignment done on a high performance car is no easy task!  I'm learning to stretch a lot, and I try to warm up my engine before I start running at full throttle.  I'm paying the high maintenance bills of a Bugatti, but I need to build my body for the long haul like a Honda CR-V.   Why, then, do I feel such a need..."the need for speed"?

It's fun to run fast and to aim for first place in a race.  The personal challenge is gratifying.  However, I must not lose focus on God's purpose for my life.  I have to take care of the body He has given me so that I can fulfill the calling He has placed on my life.  If I want to continue running at 1001 hp at 6000 rpm (Bugatti specs), then I have to commit to the enormous cost of maintaining that level of performance.  The Bugatti requires premium fuel, so I need to make sure that everything I put into my body is clean and nourishing (big oops!).  Muscle cars get low gas mileage.  Similarly, a human body with a large ratio of muscle mass will have a higher metabolism and burn fuel more quickly.   High performance cars have larger gas tanks than fuel efficient cars. High levels of physical fitness necessitate consuming a lot of calories each day (no problem!).   High performance cars require the most expensive tires, oils, engines, and parts.  High performance athletes must wear the best footwear and orthopedic equipment money can buy.  High performance cars need continuous maintenance. Athletes who have been training rigorously for many years must remain under the watchful care of skilled doctors and physical therapists (these last 2 are becoming more of a problem as they drain my time and wallet). Stretching and preventative maintenance are critical to injury prevention. 

This car analogy applies to spiritual performance as well.  To live the Christian life at peak performance, we must continuously abide with our Designer, Creator, Sustainer, and Supreme Mechanic (John 15:4).  We must regularly feast at the banquet table of God's Word.  We cannot neglect daily preventative maintenance through quiet times of seeking the Lord in prayer.

To reach top speeds, the Bugatti Veyron must be lightweight.  It does not allow its driver to carry much baggage with only 3.5 cubic feet of cargo space compared to the 35.7 cu. ft. found in a Honda CR-V.  If we are going to run to win, we must throw off every weight that slows us down and every sin that hinders our Christian walk.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

I know I that I cannot push my body full throttle like a race car all the time and remain physically healthy, nor do I want to speed through life without taking time to savor these precious moments that I cannot get back.  However, when it comes to living the Christian life, I want to train for peak performance and run in such a way as to get the prize.
  
1 Corinthians 9:24 
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  

 Which car best describes you?