Greetings All,

Here I am an admitted dinosaur. This is the first time I have joined a forum of any kind. But this Website motivated me! I want to encourage anyone who is of the "I could never do that" mindset. Please for your health and well-being, stop!

At 40 I started running, ran 1/4 mile and thought I was going to drop dead and all the 12 year-olds were going to kick me to the side of the track. As it turned out, I had to honk past most of them, "Granny passing on the left!"

After a few months I got up to 3 miles a day and would have slapped myself on the back, but was afraid I would keel over dead. That was 17 years ago and I continued to run 3 miles a day,5 days a week, certain I was at the limit of my ability.

Then, in 2005, a friend begged me to run a 1/2 marathon with her. After running through a litany of excuses, all of which she would not accept, I conceded, we trained together, and in September, ran our hearts out. Certain it was a once-and-done event, I thought of dipping my number, shoes, stats, and T-shirt in bronze and return to my new 4 mile a day habit. Certain that was the most this body could endure.

Not so. That nagging friend is back. Now wanting to do the full 26.2 miles. Mercy me. I realized that I was only at a 5 mile long run and if I was going to train I had to run 9 miles last Saturday. So after lots of prayer, and a hidden assurance that if I keeled over dead I would not have to listen to my friends incessant nagging any more, I hit the road. Well, my friends, I ran that 9 miles and 10 yesterday. It helped to repeat over and over, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

When we say, "I can't", no matter what the challenge, we are doubting the amazing power of the human body that was created by God. Sometimes we only relate Phil. 4:13 to our spiritual side. But if our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, shouldn't that body be healthy and powerful? How will the Holy Spirit work through a weak and unhealthy body? We should be giving our health serious attention if we are going to run the race and not grow weary. If God calls me to go out and serve Him, but I can't get off the couch there is a problem.

I'm not saying that you have to run a marathon, but whatever type of exercise you choose, give it everything you have, and you will realize a potential you never imagined. Aging is a state of mind!

(Opps this turned into a book, sorry!)