Ah January, the start of the new riding season. This weekend I saw facebook posts from racer friends about 6 hour rides, and almost all of us are scouring the internet for calendars to be released so we can plan our season.

We have all read countless articles about planning our training. Setting target events and mapping out detailed training plans on how to prepare to meet those goals. We spend hours pouring over the details and that is before we ever turn a pedal. Then we’ll spend hour upon hour on the bike either bundled up like the Michelin Man in blowing snow or on the mind-numbing trainer getting ready for the first big rides and races of the season. Some of us track our training with scientific accuracy via expensive power meters and record everything into detailed logs that we send to our coaches. We’ll obsess over equipment choice, tire pressure, nutrition and more. It’s all part of the cyclist’s lifestyle. You gotta do it if you want to be stronger and faster.

I want to be stronger and faster. But it has occurred to me that perhaps I should be focusing on getting stronger and faster in a different way.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever made a season plan for your spiritual training? More importantly, how much time do you devote to training yourself for Godliness?

1 Timothy 4:7b-8 says “…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” NIV

I’m willing to bet that for most of us, myself included, we spent a lot more time and energy this past year training on our bikes than we did in God’s Word, and yet the Bible clearly says it should be the other way around.

How can you find the time for that you say? Well, we make time to ride our bikes, don’t we? And most people can’t understand how we have time for that. We have the time because we make the time. It’s a matter of priorities. I’ll readily admit I don’t have all the answers and I have failed miserably more times than I can count, but here are a few things that have worked for me.

Resolve to make a training plan and follow through.

Just like with training on the bike, you have to make a plan and stick to it. Top cycling fitness doesn’t just happen, does it? Why would spiritual fitness be any different? We plan out our riding seasons months in advance with certain rides or races we want to do, how about getting out the calendar and planning some spiritual training?

First, assess where you are. In the past few months I’ve gone from race-ready form to cramping 30 minutes into a ride because life circumstances took me off the bike for a few months. I’m sad to say I’ve had the same thing happen with my spiritual fitness at times too, and though I’d like to blame my spiritual laziness on losing my job and moving twice, those are lame excuses for becoming lax on something so important. When you’ve been off the bike for a while you need to start by just riding consistently before you can progress to more structured training. Have you had some time away from your Bible? Would it be progress for you just to read and pray on a regular basis? Make a plan for how you are going to do that and do it!

For some of us, we’ve got a decent spiritual fitness base and what we need is stimulus to help us grow. Just like more advanced riders move on from just riding when they feel like it to a structured training plan with specific goals,  maybe you need to join a weekly bible study, a small group, or take a seminary class. Just like digging deep to not get dropped on a group ride, sometimes the positive peer pressure of being in a group can help us stick to our plan and keep training.

Some riders do really well if they have a coach to help them train. What about you, do you need a spiritual coach/mentor? I’m sure many of us have heard the Paul-Barnabas –Timothy principle. We should all have someone in our lives more mature than us (a Paul) to help us grow, a peer to encourage us (a Barnabas), and someone who isn’t as far along the way that we can help grow (a Timothy). Do you have those people in your life? I used to and I grew a lot then. I don’t right now and finding those people is part of my plan for growth this season.

Perhaps a missions trip or some other service opportunity will spur the growth you need. Perhaps a combination of things mentioned here and or other things is what you need. Spend some time thinking  and praying about it, and God will help you see where you need to grow if you don’t know already.

Find the time.
Just like finding time to ride your bike you’ve got to figure out what works for you and your schedule and make it happen! It doesn’t matter if it’s early mornings, late nights, crammed into your lunch break, or on your commute. You aren’t gonna get fit if you don’t exercise. And with spiritual exercise, you don’t have to lube your chain or take a shower when you are done so there are even less logistical excuses . You can get a quality spiritual workout in 10 minutes. Of course, some good long workouts where you dig deep into the Word are just as necessary as long rides are to your bike fitness.

Redeem the time.
For me, I’ve found that combining riding time with God time is a great way to redeem the volume of time I spend in the saddle. Especially this time of year when logging the base miles to build my fitness base with long slow rides, usually by myself. I ride with an iPod (left earbud NOT in my ear so I can hear traffic) and listen to podcasts, sermons, books on tape, or music with verses I’m trying to memorize in between the songs.  I’m also blessed to have a job that allows me to listen some of the time while I work. You still need to find time to read and study your bible though, and devote 100% of your attention to it.

How about instead of watching another Tour video while slogging away on the trainer, you listen to or watch a sermon or seminar and exercise your mind as well as your legs?

There are tons of resources out there so there is no excuse not to have something worthwhile to listen to. You don’t have to break the bank for an iPod either, any generic MP3 player will do and they cost less than a decent tire these days.

What do you do to train your self for Godliness? I’ll start a discussion on the christiancycing.com forum where we can share and encourage each other in this pursuit.

Related posts:

  1. Power Training
  2. IC3 and “Sea to Sea” Training Rides
  3. Rainy days of training