Running in God's Winter Wonderland - Crazy

We must be crazy running outside today.  It was 13 degrees with a windchill of 1 degree as we left the house at 9:00 am.

Crazy Runners

The more time I spend outdoors the more I am amazed at how beautiful God's world is.  I love the beach but there is something about a snowscape in the winter that takes my breath away.

Rolling Hills 

Today instead of listening to Christian music I listened to my tropical playlist.  It is a mixture of Reggae, Bob and Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson and Kenny Chesney.  As I took the picture above the song Paradise by Coldplay was on.  I do think this is paradise.

Do you recognize these locations?

 

Here they are just 3 months ago.

I have to give thanks to God for letting me run in such beauty.

Run Your Race

Hebrews 12:1

Running with God Cures the Winter Blues

Do you have Seasonal Effective Disorder?  Sometimes this is also called Seasonal or Winter Depression. Some people call it cabin fever.  If you have this affliction I have the cure for you.  As winter comes the days start getting shorter and we get less and less sunlight.  I find this somewhat depressing myself but I know that Spring will come.  In the mean time there are things that can be done to prevent this depression.  Praying and running are two great ways to keep your sanity during the winter time.

Praying can help with our mental stability.  Being close to God will help lift our spirits each day regardless of the season.  The more we are in communion with God the better we can see the beauty in the world around us.  God loves us and the more we talk and walk (or run) with him the more we feel his love and presence.

Our winter time depression may also come from chemical changes in our brain due to lack of sunshine. There are chemicals in our brain that are released as we spend time in the sun.  Many of these chemicals regulate our body functions and mood.  One specific chemical that is released in our bodies because of sunshine is Vitamin D.  There is some thought that low levels of Vitamin D leads to fatigue.  If you are able to run during the winter this will expose your body to more sunshine and help release chemicals that help with our energy level.  Activity also helps release endorphin.  Endorphins help us feel more energetic and give us a natural high as when people say that have a runners high.

If praying helps prevent the winter blues and running helps us feel more energetic just think of the powerful effect of doing them at the same time.  This could be your best winter yet!

God's gift of sunshine

Autumn canopy

Beautiful country road

*Running tip - Be prepared to run during the cold weather.  I have several long sleeve shirts of different thicknesses.  I often wear a thick running jacket with pockets.  I like the pockets because I can put my phone inside and listen to my christian running playlist.  I also have gloves for running and a sock hat.  If I warm up I can take these off and put them in my pocket.  When it is real cold I will wear a face mask. Running clothes can be expensive but are often made well enough to use for years.  My present running paints are in great shape and I have had them for about 5 years.  Also Christmas is only 51 days away and running gear can make for great gifts.

Running during Winter

I had a nice run two days ago.  I haven't had a chance to blog about my thoughts since then.  In the last two weeks I have been running in the cold and when I run in the morning I have often been running in the dark.  As we move through fall and into winter the days are getting shorter and colder.  This is what autumn often looks like.

Fall in the Midwest

Winter is a part of life.  At least here in the Midwest it is. My thought when I ran two days ago were about this time of year.  We often think of winter as a bad thing.  Some times we think of things as dead during winter.  As I ran I realized winter is a necessary part of life.  Things are not dead during this time of year. Winter is a time of preparation.  If it wasn't for winter we wouldn't have spring.  There are many things in life that look gray or dead.  We just have to remember that these are times of preparation and times that are building towards Spring.

Fall Caterpillar

I have been seeing a lot of these in the last week.  They are not very colorful and many people would say not very pretty. I know that they will be wrapped up during the winter in preparation for Spring when they will burst open in all of their splendor.  When you find yourself in a dreary place call upon God to help you prepare for the Spring.