The power of persuasion….and money-off discounts! I couldn’t resist and so I’ve signed up to run the Manchester 10K as part of the University of Manchester’s Purple Wave. With just under a week to go, it would probably be a good idea to up my training. It’s not that I am particularly unfit. I swim, stretch and go to the gym most days, so part of me is hoping, along with the crowds and adrenalin, this will be enough to see me to the finish line.
At the same time, I’m also aware that regular road training and gradually increasing your training distances can help strengthen different muscles and increase stamina. Perhaps this is why the words of Benjamin Franklin keep popping in to my head: ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.’
As a natural planner and organiser, of course I believe preparation is vital. However, there can be times in life when it feels like all the preparation in the world wouldn’t help. As we start to wobble or gasp for breath, we start to hold on to everything and anything in search of solid ground. I know in times like this, I have been particularly thankful for friends and others who weren’t fazed by my situation. I am also thankful that my faith has been ‘an anchor to my soul’, that God always gives me grace for each day and ‘bright hope for tomorrow’.
