this is no longer my blog

so i got up today, earlier than normal, and went for a jog. it took some convincing to get myself out of bed, and even then i wasn't convinced that i wanted to go jogging. so i sat at my computer and surfed some websites. i was reading some of the entries on convent files, and the author was writing about her training for a half marathon, and she discusses why she runs. here is an excerpt:

Exercise is one of those things that I enjoy in retrospect. I like
that I run. I don’t particularly care for running while I am in the
act. But I keep doing it because, as I tell myself, “I am an
athlete.” Not “I want to be an athlete” or “I wish I were an
athlete.” I am an athlete, so I run, whether I feel like it or
not.

so that was the motivation that i needed. i got up and changed into my running clothes and went for a SHORT jog. last year at seminary, a couple of friends and i began training to run a marathon. it's much easier to maintain a running schedule when you have the support of friends to push you along. i went from being a non-runner to training for a marathon, and unfortunately the strain was too much on one of my knees and i was forced to sit the marathon out. but i still was probably in some of the better shape that i have ever been, and running is always something that i've wanted to be good at. but after nearly a year of not having any set running schedule, i was surprised at how out of shape i have become.
so we'll see. i'm going to try to keep this jogging thing going. i'll start slow, like i did today, with a small jog. maybe by next week i'll be able to add a couple of blocks to my route. who knows, by the time i get back to seminary i might be ready to start training for that marathon again.
this also makes me think of how the apostle Paul compares a life of faith to running a race (2 Timothy 4.7 among many others). running is by no means easy. it takes commitment and practice to be good. you can't just wake up one day and think "i'm going to run a marathon," and then go out and do it. unless you've been working up to it.
and that's how a life of faith is, too. it takes commitment and practice. you can't just expect it to come easy. and sometimes, just like running, you have to do it even though you don't feel like it. you have to pray, even though it feels empty and useless. you have to believe, even though it feels stupid and pointless. but, just like running, on the good days, the rush you get is amazing. you feel like you're walking on air and you realize just how all of that work and practice that led up to this point has been worth it. all the bad days don't seem so bad anymore.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let
us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so
that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12.1-3)