on running

{the feet that I run with}

In the lead up to the 10k race, I wondered on a few occasions why I was bothering to do this again. As I waited at the starting line for the race to begin, the famous music from the film Chariots of Fire played out over the speakers, and my favourite line from the film came to mind:

'I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.'  - Eric Liddell

I thought about the Bible verse that is etched into the back of my ipod, given to me by a dear friend:

'And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.' Hebrews 12 v 1-2

And in that moment I remembered why I was running this race again; why I keep on running even though at times it feels like it never gets easier and in training I so often battle with myself to overcome the mental challenges. When I run, I am reminded of how remarkable the human body is, and thank God for his brilliance in the way he has created us. I looked around me at my fellow runners and marvel at those running with bodies that have lived for many more years than I have, and hoped that in years and decades to come, I can still run. I hope this not just because I would like to maintain physical fitness with age, but because of the metaphor that the verse in Hebrews speaks of - that this 'race' in life requires perseverance, just as a long run does.

As I thought back to the last time I ran the Bristol 10k, I smiled at how much has changed since then. The tiny hands of children that I held on the way to the race in 2009 were replaced this year by the hands of my husband, who made his intentions oh so clear on that very day when I ran my personal best in 2009.

I mentioned previously that in training for the 10k, we started going to a running club on Monday evenings, coached by two brilliant people, one of whom is a Physio by profession. These training sessions are making the world of difference to me, and at the end of each hour, I go home with a smile on my face (except for the one 3 weeks ago where we got pelted with hailstones and I cycled with gritted teeth), and am already looking forward to the next training session. The training is hard work in the sense that I am learning a huge amount about running technique, how to adapt my running style to be more efficient and to run in such a way that should prevent injury. For much of the time, I feel like I am concentrating on getting my stubborn body to do what it is supposed to be doing, and then there will be brief moments where all that I am learning clicks into place. My legs and arms are correctly aligned, my upper body is leaning forward just enough to propel me, but not so much that I am stooped, I'm taking short fast steps and landing on my midfoot (not heel striking), and my legs are moving in a circular motion. And I feel like I am flying.

I write these things that I might remember when I am feeling like running is impossible and the flow of running I am in at the moment has turned to an ebb, where every hill feels like too much and my body has forgotten the technique training I am putting it through. I write this also in the hope that perhaps my body won't forget; that my nervous system will remember the messages I am giving it and will re-train itself to forget bad habits - that I might just be able to move forwards in my running. I write these things about running to remind me of the constant parallels with the rest of life. As I grow older I want to mature in faith and godly wisdom, and I know that this requires work. It takes the same persistence as running does to affect change in my life, but thankfully, I know that ultimately it is not my efforts that change my heart, but the work of God within me. And the more I know myself, the more I see my great need for God, just as the more I run, the  more I am reminded of these same lessons in perseverance, hope, joy, pain, persistence and faith.