Training With Coach Christ
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Resisting the Run
I felt confident as I caught Coach looking my way. “I must be doing great,” I thought, as we were running drills. Coach then called me over and said, “I want you to pick up another sport, for conditioning. I think cross country will be your best bet.”
Another sport? Cross Country? I froze for a moment. What does “conditioning” even mean? I didn’t want to do anything other than play basketball. And I hated running.
Eventually, I gave into my resistance. I loved playing basketball so much I was willing to give Coach’s instruction a shot. Then, something happened: I began to like running. I started slowly, running around my neighborhood block, then around the school track. Before I knew it, I was running my first cross country race (tired beyond belief, but I finished!).
One of my favorite verses in the Bible are the words of St. Paul, written in his letter to Timothy: “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). I tell my family I want it engraved on my tombstone. Maybe it’s because of my competitive nature, or my love of running, but these words speak directly to my soul and burn deep into my heart.
Tough Training
I’ve heard this question posed throughout my career many times: “What are your stretch goals?”
Each time I’m asked to grow beyond my current state, I think of my running and how it hurts when I’m in training mode. If I want to grow, it’s going to hurt a little. If I can take the time to devise a training plan that incorporates how I’ll reach my business goals, then surely I can devote precious prayer time to seeking counsel for how to reach the ultimate goal of heaven.
I recently caught an episode of the Blessed Is She podcast in which the concept of going to God as a coach cemented my thought that setting stretch goals for my spiritual life is imperative. Spiritual stretch goals are as just as important as the training plan I have in place for my career and workouts.
Coach Christ
Now, I’m handing over my life’s workout routine to Coach Christ—giving my spiritual stretch goals to him and allowing Coach to shape my plan. Who knows? I just may win my age bracket at my next race, too.
Now that’s a stretch goal!
“Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).
Lilia Grundy is University of Portland’s Pamplin School of Business’ Director of Corporate Partnerships with over 20 years of corporate experience (including Kraft Foods, NBC Television, and Telemundo). Lilia launched Catholic Women Professionals to inspire other working women to grow their faith. She is married to her high school sweetie Rob - they have beautiful twin girls who love art, music and learning about the Saints. Connect with Lilia at – LinkedIn • Instagram • Website