1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Day #7: Date: Wednesday September 16, 2026
Mrs. Smith *Social Pathologist MS (Weekly Blogger @AmenWeekly.com)
*Blogger of 75 -Day Hard as a Spiritual Journey! *49-Year old *Mom of 4 *CEO & Social-Behavioral Skills Trainer @ Sweet Home California (Proverbs 22:6) *Retired Home School Mom *CFO & 1st Lady @ AeroComInc.com
Day #7: 75 Day Hard & More than 1 Way to Skin a Cat or Train for a 10K Race Testimony 🐈 🏃♀️
Today, I ran 60 minutes to train for my 10K Race that is coming up in 4 days this Sunday September 20, 2026! After finishing my run, I walked in our front door (out of breath) but smiling because I had just run my daily, 3 mile neighborhood walk two times around in order to complete my training! It was the first time in my life that I had ever ran that far so I was feeling pretty proud of myself!!! Especially for being 49 years old and only having been in one other race last year at 48!
When I walked in the house, Emily, (our 22 year old college graduate) was the only one home. It was a quiet morning and she was standing at our kitchen island preparing vegan meals. As I walked in the door (out of breath) I said, “I did it! I ran for 60 minutes!” She skeptically looked up at me and asked, “How have you been training?” Then she looked back at her fancy watch with her training app.
I told her I trained the same way I did last year for the 5K Turkey Trot Race we had done together (along with our son and her friend). I told her I actually felt better today then I did on my 30 minute training day last year and it was double the time running today! Last year, I only ran 30 minutes because it was a short 5K. Today, I ran 60 minutes because I’m training for a longer race, a 10K.
Problem:
I could sense that in her own “Mom-i-ly Way” she was subtly trying to tell me that the apple watch helps her train properly with intervals and speeds, etc. and the way I trained was subpar. Emily’s personality, (as the oldest of our four children), can be a bit know-it- all-ish. I say this lightly because honestly the only reason I am doing a 75-Day Hard in the first place is because of her independence in taking on the challenge herself! To be honest, (as God knows) the only reason we were able to manage 4 children the last 22 years is because she is so independent and has been since she was age 2! Of course, with independence comes her attitude, her way is “thought-through” and better than mine! This is especially true when it comes to tech or gadgets since I missed that explosion (with the invention of the smart phone in 2007), because we had a 1 year old and she was 3! Then, we added two more babies sas the tech was advancing as we were just trying to keep our family of 6 and a dog fed and clean!
To be fair, it never came up and I never told her how I trained last year (probably because she didn’t ask) for the 5K race because she was living and going to college in San Luis Obispo. She was only home for Thanksgiving week and she only saw me run the 5K race but not train. She does have some good ideas from instagram, tic toc and you tube in the area of training but she is not going to convince me her wiser, (certified trainer mother), I did not train well enough for our 10K race coming up because I don’t have a fancy watch with a running app!
Solution: I explained to her there is more than 1 way to skin a cat or train for a 10K race. It really starts with your goals for the race! My goals are obviously different than hers just with our age difference alone! You could use an app but I prefer training without an app!
In the bible, Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says, “Do you not know that all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” -1 Corinthians 9:4
I think Paul’s statement can cause a lot of “Keep Up With the Jones’ Mentality” in the Christian world but with my knowledge of social-behavior training Paul is saying we are each running our own race! An individualized race God created just for me/you!! Belief brings salvation but running your own race brings discipleship and living your very best life! The life Jesus died to give us! Joy to the World! You are individualizing your own race (goals) with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit helping you along the way!
I told her, “I am completely confident I trained properly without a fancy app. I’m not saying you don’t benefit from your watch because of your own personal goals but for my personal goals, no watch is needed! My goal is to run the entire race (no walking!) and not get hurt!”
I know what I’m doing! I’m a D-1 Trainer😂 My background is in social-behavior modification training and that knowledge helped me create individualized goals with benchmarks as a plan to train for last year’s 5K race and the 10K race in 4 days!
My kids don’t know this. Heck! Emily recently admitted she didn’t even really know what my husband/her Dad sells until she started working for him a month ago! How could she even begin to understand my background in social-behavioral modification training and how it would help me train for a 10K?
-Mrs. Smith *Social Pathologist MS (Weekly Blogger @AmenWeekly.com)
Day #7 of my 75 Day Hard Challenge 9/16/2026
*75 Day Hard Challenge Goal: To buffet my body (1 Corinthians 9:27) and get even stronger (mentally, spiritually <3, & physically) through a modified 75-Day Hard which will have me living even more of my very best life by the time I turn 50 this February 2027! Philippians 4:13 “I kick & I stretch and I kick;)”