Running

“How often do you walk or run?”
[A Prompt from WordPress]

I don’t.

The blog prompt made me snort. I have many friends who run, and when asked if I share their love for this exhilarating outdoor pursuit, my answer is always the same.

“I don’t believe in running.”

When asked why, my reply is…

“It hurts.”

Honestly, short of hiring a private trainer, I have tried to run. Before taking to the streets, my preparations included:

✔ Seeking advice from runner-friends
✔ Purchasing proper shoes
✔ I followed the “Couch to 5K” app
✔ And, downloaded appropriate playlists

On day one, after a good stretch (thanks to the Youtubes), shoes donned and playlist cued, I was ready to run with with my husband… who would walk. I was pumped and hubby was super supportive. The plan was to alternate running and walking.

Easy-peasy.

But, after a few blocks my lungs began to burn and my knees hurt. I wanted to puke. Even worse was the realization that I’d need to invest in more supportive undergarments.

Defeated, I waited for hubby to catch up and we continued the path walking side-by-side.

After three days of this routine it was obvious that adjustments had to be made.

Deleting the “Couch to 5k” app, I replaced it with Netflix. Running would now occur as a brisk walk in my basement on the treadmill while binging Downton Abbey.

Case in fact, I have no interest in finding my ‘runners high’, training for marathons, or collecting t-shirts. (If you’re a non-profit holding a 5k, I’d rather send you a Venmo.)

This WordPress prompt did cause me to stop and reflect, not on the activity of running itself, but on crossing a finish line.

So, I have questions:

• What is the finish line?
• Does it matter where I place?
• Is my recorded time at issue?
• What do I wear? (just kidding… sort of)

There is a race I want to win. Preparations are necessary, but they will be vastly different – and coughing up a lung won’t be an issue.

✔ My trainer is called a spiritual director.
✔ I wear a brown scapular.
✔ A Rule of Life keeps me disciplined.
✔ My playlist is filled with Catholic podcasts and Christian music.

While keeping my body healthy and strong is important, I would argue that the greater priority – the higher good – is maintaining an inviolable soul, disciplined in those things that bring it a greater purpose than seeking that runner’s high.

Union with God.

St. Paul puts it best:

Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.
They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.

1 Cor 9:25

So, I challenge you, dear reader, “What great race are you training for and what is the prize?”

A sporting event, your career, first chair, lead role, politics? Earthly goals gaining medals and trophies, titles and accolades, encores and seats of honor.

All fleeting.

The longer I live and learn, the more I yearn for that imperishable crown.

I’d trade my Rykas for it any day.

Pray for me as I pray for you.