Physiology of Runners 4: Heart

Thump.......Thump.......Thump..... Well, It sounds like my heart is still beating, for now. The heart is one of the most interesting of our bodily organs. It circulates the blood oxygen mix through our bodies, which in turn helps us push out our daily runs.  The heart has many different parts that help it distribute the blood, veins, and arteries are the main ones.  These help the blood flow the the different muscles and organs that need oxygen.  I like to think of them as roots that just help the tree get bigger and stronger.
I think we can all agree on the fact that the heart is a pretty important part of running, now, just like the heart is important, a testimony of the gospel is just as important if not more.... well, at least for our spiritual journey.
So what is a testimony and how do we attain one?  Well, the dictionary says that a testimony is evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.  How can we have evidence of God?  Well, lets look around us for a second.  Look at all the pretty trees, the beautiful mountains, the people all around us, those are little pieces of evidence that God is there.  There is a more definite way that we can know God, and that is through his spirit which touches our.... you guessed right, Heart.  In Moroni 10:5 we are taught that "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of ALL things."  That is how we gain a testimony of the gospel and grow to know God.  Testimonies keep us deeply rooted in the gospel and help us in our stony paths of life.  The best way to gain that testimony is to read the scriptures, attend church meetings, and to pray always.  I call those the primary basics.

So next time your out on your long run, think about the testimony you have of the gospel and what it means to you.

Physiology of Runners 3: Muscles

MUSCLES

All of you out there who are interested in cars, you will recognize numbers like... Chevy's 350 small block, or the 440 Magnum.  These are some popular engines in classic muscle cars; and they are named "muscle" cars for a definite reason. They have got alot of MUSCLE. Well, so does our body's, especially runners.

Your muscles are composed of several types of muscle fibers.  You have probably hear the terms "slow-twitch" and "fast-twitch" fibers. As you might have guessed slow-twitch muscles are trained by doing longer runs.  These muscles give you the endurance and stamina you need.  Fast-twitch muscles are the speedy Gonzales muscles, and are trained by shorter distances at a intense rate of speed that forces your body into lactate mode. So a basic summary would be, our muscles are important when running and we need to train and condition them to perform the best for us, and we get faster and stronger.
Just like muscles we need to train our minds to understand the scriptures and the instructions that the Lord has given to us to make it back to his presence.  How do we do that........ well, as the primary song that I sang when I was a young boy, "Search, ponder, and pray are the things that I must do..."
We recently listened to a great talk by our mission president at zone conference about reading the Book of Mormon. No, feasting.... on the Book of Mormon.  He talked about a piece of Chocolate cake that was really really good.  Now, would you just scrape the top of this chocolate cake, or would you just dive right into it?  Feast!!!  I know that as we read the Book of Mormon and Bible our testimony's of the restoration of the gospel will increase and we will know that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is his prophet in these the latter days, and that this is Gods kingdom once again established upon the earth!
Lets get out there and train our minds!!!

Physiology of Runners 2: Core Muscles

GRUNT....1....GRUNT...2.......

What is the point to all of these gut wrenching sit ups?  All that i did sit ups for was to have a washboard stomach so I could get more dates.  But there is much more to doing sit ups than meets the eye.  In fact the gospel of Jesus Christ has some similarities to core exercises.

There are a few important part of a runners core that people dont usually think about.  I often thought of my core as my abs and obliques, however the key features of a runners core includes the pelvis and its various other bones and ligaments,buttock and gluteus maximus,obliques, and abdominal just to name a few.  The way that we are stabilized when walking, running, jumping, basically anything with movement is from our core muscles, bones, and ligaments.  They all work as a team to perform their functions.

Now for the application to the gospel.... any guesses.... Well there are actually many ideas that i was thinking about.  But I have chosen the God Head.
We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy ghost are 3 distinct individuals that are united in purpose.
Doctrine and Covenants sheds a bit of light on the subject of the God Head....
D+C 130:22
 22 The ^aFather has a ^bbody of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of ^cSpirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not ^ddwell in us.
As the verse points out God has a body, and so does the son.  But the spirit doesn't have a body, were it not so he couldn't dwell in us and burn doubt out of our hearts.
There is quite a bit of controversy on the subject of the Trinune God and what is really meant in the scriptures.  You will find verses all over the bible as well as the book of Mormon that state that God and the Savior are one.... But careful examination of the scriptures shows that they ( God, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost) are one in PURPOSE.  How confusing would the scriptures be if we took that phrase literally.  When the Savior was baptized did he talk to himself from heaven and said this is my beloved self in whom I am well pleased? No, he was addressed by his father in heaven.
Now just as the God head are one in purpose, so are our core muscles one in purpose, though distinctly separate muscles.

Physiology of Runners 1: Water

I have been contemplating these past few weeks on something that i could blog about.  After trying a few ideas and not having them work out the way i wanted, i decided to check out a book to help me out.  This book is called Running Anatomy.  I have now decided that i want to discuss a few things about the human body as a runner, the physiology if you will, and compare it to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One thing that I would like to start out with is this fact.... The human body is made up of about 60% water. We can all agree that there probably isn't anything better on a hot day than a cold class of ice water.  It quenches our thirst and keeps our body functioning in the way it should be.
 The energy burned when running produces heat, and it is by the mechanism of sweating that the core temperature is maintained; and we sweat from the fluids that we have taken into our body. So this points out that water is crucial for not only our running, but our survival as humans.
I would like to now compare water to the living water that the Savior talked about to the woman at the well.
In the John Chapter 4 Verses 11-14 the account states:

 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I begin to wonder what it would feel like to never thirst again.  I wouldn't have to worry about spending money on water, milk, pop, cool-aid, juice etc. Wouldn't that be nice. 
 But I do know what it is like to never thirst after the truth.  Being apart of the true restored church of Jesus Christ brings a peace that cant be explained. Now remember after your next long run when you reach for you bottle of water that there is a way to never thirst again, and that is through Jesus Christ.

Standing Idle

I remember back in high school running on the cross country team. One thing that was drilled into my head over and over from coach Holt was, if you find your self comfortable in races, your not pushing yourself hard enough. You need to make a move, bring on the pain just a little bit more to achieve greatness. How does this relate to the gospel... well... I often think of being a member of the true church of Christ much like a race. Lets first read from........
2 Nehpi 31:19-20
19. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay......20. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Now, as Nephi counsels us once we are baptized and receive the gift of the holy ghost is everything okay... are we done... can we just say "okay ive been baptized, im saved.".... Or from a runners perspective.... Your in the middle of the marathon and you think "Ive done my training, and eaten right, got plenty of rest, I think Im all taken care of to win this whole race now." NAY. We must endure to the end. Push our selfs.
We must always be making those moves in races to push our selfs to the best time possible. We must also be making those moves to make us progress closer to our father in heaven. Scripture study, church attendance, magnifying our church callings and priesthood duties are all ways we can make those moves to further our progression.
I know that this is Christ's true church on the earth. Now lets get out there and win the race.

Injuries, Currant Bushes, and the Gospel??

Come on, you have to be wondering what running injuries, current bushes, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with each other. Well, bare with me and you just might find out.
On a runners journey to greatness, there are often bumps in the road known as injuries. But needless to say it is almost guaranteed for us runners to run into these road bumps.  Yuck! Even writing about them reminds me of the countless hours spent in physical therapy and down in the basement of my high school icing my shins and foot. I would be so heart broken that my progress and training had gone to naught because a simple hurt foot. I found out shortly that tears could not heal the injured tendons in my foot and shin. I felt like i had been cheated by some one who should have been there for me when injury was about to emerge. (My coach, myslef, even my father in heaven)
That's where the story of the Currant Bush comes to mind.........
Elder Hugh B. Brown gave a talk in the 1973 issue of the Ensign titled The Currant Bush

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

I think i may know how that little currant bush felt like. I would often ask my self very bitterly....

 "Why did this happen to me! I was making such wonderful progress. I was almost as good as the other runners around me and this injury has slowed me down! Every runner in the state will look down on me because I cant run as fast as them! I thought you were a runner here?"

In one of the most real ways that heavenly father has made himself known to me is through this talk, an answered prayer.....

"Look Austin, I know what i want you to be. I didn't intend you to be a national champion, or a state champion. I want you to be Austin .......... and some day Austin, when you are laden with tons of accomplishments and wonderful memories you will say thank you, for loving me enough to cut me down."

Its my testimony to you that i know that God is in our lives and that he knows what is best for us. Though we may not understand why he does what he does, he does it because he loves us. Never in my life had a felt so much love from my heavenly father when i was injured and at a low point in life

. I never went on to be a nationally ranked runner, or even a state champ, but i have thousands of memories on running in high school and loving every second of it.

Injuries, Currant Bushes, and the Gospel??

Come on, you have to be wondering what running injuries, current bushes, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with each other. Well, bare with me and you just might find out.
On a runners journey to greatness, there are often bumps in the road known as injuries. But needless to say it is almost guaranteed for us runners to run into these road bumps.  Yuck! Even writing about them reminds me of the countless hours spent in physical therapy and down in the basement of my high school icing my shins and foot. I would be so heart broken that my progress and training had gone to naught because a simple hurt foot. I found out shortly that tears could not heal the injured tendons in my foot and shin. I felt like i had been cheated by some one who should have been there for me when injury was about to emerge. (My coach, myslef, even my father in heaven)
That's where the story of the Currant Bush comes to mind.........
Elder Hugh B. Brown gave a talk in the 1973 issue of the Ensign titled The Currant Bush

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

I think i may know how that little currant bush felt like. I would often ask my self very bitterly....

 "Why did this happen to me! I was making such wonderful progress. I was almost as good as the other runners around me and this injury has slowed me down! Every runner in the state will look down on me because I cant run as fast as them! I thought you were a runner here?"

In one of the most real ways that heavenly father has made himself known to me is through this talk, an answered prayer.....

"Look Austin, I know what i want you to be. I didn't intend you to be a national champion, or a state champion. I want you to be Austin .......... and some day Austin, when you are laden with tons of accomplishments and wonderful memories you will say thank you, for loving me enough to cut me down."

Its my testimony to you that i know that God is in our lives and that he knows what is best for us. Though we may not understand why he does what he does, he does it because he loves us. Never in my life had a felt so much love from my heavenly father when i was injured and at a low point in life

. I never went on to be a nationally ranked runner, or even a state champ, but i have thousands of memories on running in high school and loving every second of it.