“I wouldn’t run unless something was
chasing me.” That’s what I used to
say. But now, as I’m approaching my
forty-second birthday, I realize that something is chasing me. So now I
run.
I
never thought that I would become a runner.
I never understood those people, with their athletic clothing and their
sportsy jargon. I’ve never been an
athlete. I’ve never had much stamina or
endurance. As a kid, I played one season
of soccer, but quit after that. My
asthma prevented me from sports that involved a lot of running. In addition, I’ve always hated the jarring
sensation of my heels striking the pavement as I run.
But
now I run. Because something is chasing
me.
My
fitness journey began in January, when I noticed that I could no longer fit
into some of my favorite clothes. At the
same time, the scale tipped past the point where I was comfortable. So I set a weight loss goal for 2014. But by the beginning of Lent, I had only lost
three pounds. So I decided on a low-carb
fast for Lent, that would add a spiritual dimension to my need to lose
weight. During Lent, I began to get more
spiritually and more physically fit. The
pounds began to fall off. At Easter, I
decided that the dietary changes I’d made needed to go beyond Lent, and needed
to become a lifestyle change. So I eat
differently these days. And it’s a good
thing. Besides the weight loss, I’ve
noticed a few other medical benefits to my new diet. For one thing, I no longer have acid
issues. And, with all the pollen we had
this spring, I didn’t have any problem with asthma.
So
a month or so ago, I started running. I
had no respiratory excuses. I researched
breathing techniques. I learned how to
run so that I avoid over-striding, which causes the heels to strike uncomfortably
and can lead to damage. I started out
walking, and then moved to walking and running at intervals. Now, I’m delighted to find that my intervals
are changing, and that I’m able to run more and walk less. I never imagined myself as a runner, but as I
lace on my shoes it’s starting to feel like something I look forward to, rather
than something I dread. I even bought
myself some of those athletic clothes that I always thought looked so dorky on
other people. But my perspective is
changing with my body, and I think I look pretty good.
I’ve
learned that there’s something meditative about running, which appeals to my contemplative,
monkish personality. There’s something
about the repetition of footfalls, combined with synchronized breathing that
lends itself to mental chanting. As I
run, I find myself repeating things like, “Though outwardly we are wasting
away, inwardly we’re renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4.16).” I like that one, because it has a good
cadence, and it rhymes! Then there’s the
more simple, “Put off your old self…put on the new self (from Ephesians
4.22-23).” Or, “Rise on wings as eagles…run
and not be weary (Isaiah 40.31).” These
types of scriptural meditations aren’t new to me, but adding them to the rhythm
of footfalls and breathing has become something that I look forward to.
I’m
still a slow runner, but I’m making progress.
I don’t have a lithe runner’s body, and maybe I never will. But outwardly, I am wasting away—and that’s a
good thing. And as my waist is wasting,
inwardly I’m renewed day by day.
Today
I’d like to encourage you to combine spiritual fitness with physical
fitness. You don’t have to be an athlete
to get better day by day. Just get
started slowly, and eventually your baby steps will lead to running with
endurance the race that the Lord has set before you (Hebrews 12.1).
