Plan = Success?

Today began my "official" training for the Twin Cities Marathon. I am using a training plan from Hal Higdon (www.halhigdon.com) as a guide. Why a program? Because I trust someone who has done this before more than I trust me--someone who hasn't. Why Higdon's program? Because I have heard of him and he seems to know what he is talking about. There are lots of training programs out there, and I am sure that most of them could do their part to get me to the finish line, but I chose this program. Better to choose one and follow it than to waffle between programs and get behind.

While the program will help, it will not get me to the finish line. The program is detailed--workout distances for each of the next 18 weeks (around 450 miles total). The program has been used by others. The program seems to be do-able. But I still need to put in the miles. Simply having the program and having the run distances entered on my calendar will accomplish nothing in and of itself.

People have asked, what program should I follow to become a disciple of Christ? I think that most of the time they want to know how to get to someplace they have never been. Most of the time people have been disappointed when I tell them that there is no single plan, but that a good strategy is to pick one of the many that are out there and follow the plan. Becoming a disciple is much more of a journey than a destination, and there is no guaranteed plan for a lifelong journey that charts each step from now until the day you die. Better to head in a direction--toward Christlikeness--and see where the journey takes you.