Defeat Part 1

The last couple of days I have been chewing on the thought of defeat. What is defeat? Why do we walk around defeated, discouraged and depressed? What does God have to say about it? What can one do about it?
Defeat is everywhere we turn. People downcast. An unbelief in oneself.
The one who is dieting says to themselves, "I am never going to lose this weight."
The one who wants to play on the team says, "I am not good enough, they don't want me."
The teenager says, "I am insignificant, who am I?"
The husband struggling to provide says, "I am a failure."
The new mother says, "I don't think I am cut out for this."
I can't. I never will. I am no good.
Defeat.
In the movie Facing the Giants there are three characters dealing with different forms of defeat. The defeated man. He is overwhelmed and can not seem to get ahead. There is the new kid who does not even want to try because of fear that he will fail. And there is the captain of the team who sets a limit in his mind of what can be accomplished and even then does not think it will be obtained. I love how the story carries each of the characters through to victory. Two words...death crawl...you have to see this movie. I don't want to give anything away so I will stop there but really go rent it, buy it, borrow it...watch it.
As I have been training this last week I have been thinking a bit about limitations. For example I know the requirements of the course for the triathlon. I know I will need to swim 400 meters, bike 16 kilometers, and run 5 kilometers. I know where I currently am. I can consistently move the 1/4 mile. I can bike 10 miles in 41 minutes and will let's just say I have not finished a 3 mile run. I have been asking myself why I have not yet finished a 3 mile run. "Self, why have you not done it yet?" And the answer would probably be that I defeat myself before I even step foot on the track. I say "I only did a mile last time I bet I will only make a mile today." Other days I say baby steps, slowly build-up to it. Yesterday I realized something. I got on the bike thinking I will bike for 30 minutes. I started along and before I knew it the 30 minutes was almost done, I had gone 7 miles and thought I am so close to the 10 I know I can do it! So I did. I peddled on for another 3 miles and made it to the ten mile mark. WooHoo! The odd part of it was that the last three miles were easier than the first three. Why is that? Determination? The desire to obtain the goal? Strong-will? Believing that I could do it? Wanting it?
More tomorrow...