Gradual Adaptation
I’ve got my longest run yet of my 18-week marathon training plan. Today I must run 19 miles. I am super charged. Last night I loaded up on the carbs. This morning I woke up extra early so I can get a good part of my run completed before the sun rises. There is just something about watching the sun rise in the middle of a long run. I am also charged because I plan to run two ten-mile loops, which equals twenty miles. My thinking is simple: why run 19 when you can run 20?
Running a marathon is not as difficult as it sounds. In order to run one you must practice a physiology principle called Gradual Adaptation. Let me paint you a picture.
Suppose you were overweight and out of shape, and someone challenged you to run a 5K (3.2 miles) in 30 minutes.
Chances are you would fail miserably. Most people would not be able to run for more than 60 seconds without stopping to catch their breath. And, before the run concluded, some might stop altogether and admit they were out of shape and that they could never run that distance in the allotted time.
On the other hand, suppose your challenger gave you 10 weeks to train in order to run a 5K; that my friend would be another story. And that is where the Gradual Adaptation principle comes into play.
Gradual Adaptation is process by which you consistently and patiently build up toward your goal. What makes the gradual adaptation plan so successful is a series of steps which allow you to build on your progress.
To run 3.2 miles in 10 weeks you might use the following plan:
Week ------ Days ------ Run ------ Walk ------ Repeat
Running a marathon is not as difficult as it sounds. In order to run one you must practice a physiology principle called Gradual Adaptation. Let me paint you a picture.
Suppose you were overweight and out of shape, and someone challenged you to run a 5K (3.2 miles) in 30 minutes.
Chances are you would fail miserably. Most people would not be able to run for more than 60 seconds without stopping to catch their breath. And, before the run concluded, some might stop altogether and admit they were out of shape and that they could never run that distance in the allotted time.
On the other hand, suppose your challenger gave you 10 weeks to train in order to run a 5K; that my friend would be another story. And that is where the Gradual Adaptation principle comes into play.
Gradual Adaptation is process by which you consistently and patiently build up toward your goal. What makes the gradual adaptation plan so successful is a series of steps which allow you to build on your progress.
To run 3.2 miles in 10 weeks you might use the following plan:
Week ------ Days ------ Run ------ Walk ------ Repeat
1 ----------5 days ---- 1 min ----- 5 min ----- 5 times
2 ----------5 days ---- 2 min ----- 4 min ----- 5 times
3 ----------5 days ---- 3 min ----- 3 min ----- 5 times
4 ----------5 days ---- 5 min ----- 2.5 min --- 4 times
5 ----------5 days ---- 7 min ----- 3 min ----- 3 times
6 ----------5 days ---- 8 min ----- 2 min ----- 3 times
7 ----------5 days ---- 9 min ----- 1 min ----- 3 times
8 ----------4 days ---- 13 min ---- 2 min ----- 2 times
9 ----------3 days ---- 14 min ---- 1 min ----- 2 times
10 ---------3 days ---- 30 min ---- none ----- 1 time
I list that chart because I know of several CrossPointers who were able to complete last year’s Fifth Annual CrossPoint 5K in 30 minutes or less even though ten weeks prior to the race they were out of shape. That is proof that the Gradual Adaptation plan works.
The same principle can be applied to training for a marathon. The first week of your plan requires you to run a total of 21 miles. The third week it increases to 28 miles. The tenth week requires you to run 42 miles and so on, until you build your base up to a steady 45 or 50 miles. Then you taper down the mileage until race day. Ten weeks ago I would never dream of running 20 miles. Today I am pumped because I know I have built up my base to run that far.
Now let’s use the same principle to reading through the Bible. The Bible is an amazing book. It is a book like no other book. It contains 66 books. The 66 books of the Bible have 31,176 verses, 1,189 chapters which describe the life and times of more than 2,930 personalities. It is such a large book in both quantity and quality that many people shy away from reading it. “It is just too much to read,” they opine.
However, if you were to read a few chapters a day, say from a different book each morning, within 52 weeks you would read the entire Bible. The reason I read a small portion of Scripture each day is so that I can read through my Bible each year I live. And, as I have communicated before, the more I go through the Word of God the more the Word of God goes through me.
How are you doing with your daily Bible reading? If you are on pace, stay the course. If you are behind, get caught up this weekend. Whatever you are doing and wherever you are in your reading, put the Gradual Adaptation Principle into practice.
2 ----------5 days ---- 2 min ----- 4 min ----- 5 times
3 ----------5 days ---- 3 min ----- 3 min ----- 5 times
4 ----------5 days ---- 5 min ----- 2.5 min --- 4 times
5 ----------5 days ---- 7 min ----- 3 min ----- 3 times
6 ----------5 days ---- 8 min ----- 2 min ----- 3 times
7 ----------5 days ---- 9 min ----- 1 min ----- 3 times
8 ----------4 days ---- 13 min ---- 2 min ----- 2 times
9 ----------3 days ---- 14 min ---- 1 min ----- 2 times
10 ---------3 days ---- 30 min ---- none ----- 1 time
I list that chart because I know of several CrossPointers who were able to complete last year’s Fifth Annual CrossPoint 5K in 30 minutes or less even though ten weeks prior to the race they were out of shape. That is proof that the Gradual Adaptation plan works.
The same principle can be applied to training for a marathon. The first week of your plan requires you to run a total of 21 miles. The third week it increases to 28 miles. The tenth week requires you to run 42 miles and so on, until you build your base up to a steady 45 or 50 miles. Then you taper down the mileage until race day. Ten weeks ago I would never dream of running 20 miles. Today I am pumped because I know I have built up my base to run that far.
Now let’s use the same principle to reading through the Bible. The Bible is an amazing book. It is a book like no other book. It contains 66 books. The 66 books of the Bible have 31,176 verses, 1,189 chapters which describe the life and times of more than 2,930 personalities. It is such a large book in both quantity and quality that many people shy away from reading it. “It is just too much to read,” they opine.
However, if you were to read a few chapters a day, say from a different book each morning, within 52 weeks you would read the entire Bible. The reason I read a small portion of Scripture each day is so that I can read through my Bible each year I live. And, as I have communicated before, the more I go through the Word of God the more the Word of God goes through me.
How are you doing with your daily Bible reading? If you are on pace, stay the course. If you are behind, get caught up this weekend. Whatever you are doing and wherever you are in your reading, put the Gradual Adaptation Principle into practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment