Why I Run

Recently I was asked why I run, as in "What is the draw to make you do that to yourself?"  I laughed, and I responded with something like how I just love to see how I can push myself, and how it is great for me to just go out to run and think.  However, that question has kind of stuck with me over the past week.  I've been asking myself over the past week why it is that I do this crazy thing?  I mean, I'm halfway to 90 years old, which means I've more than likely already lived more than half of my life - why would I want to spend so many hours, heartbeats, and breaths out there just running?  I've got arthritis in my right foot that causes pain with every.single.step that I ever take, and last year I had arthroscopic knee surgery on my left knee to remove a part of my torn meniscus - so now as my orthopedic doctor said, that now my "bad knee" which causes me pain with every.single.step.  So with my right foot hurting, and my left knee hurting, I simply can't take a single step without feeling some level of pain.  So why on earth would I lace up my shoes and go run? 


This morning as I was out for my run, I thought about that quite a bit.  I know one reason that I run is that it allows me to have some intentional "me" time.  By nature I am an extreme extrovert - I LOVE talking to and with people.  But when I run, it's just me.  I never run with someone else (unless it's in a race, of course).  Now, I'll be the first one to admit that if I see someone walking, running, riding their bike, or raking their yard, I'm super excited to get to say "Good morning!  Beautiful day!"  But other than that, it's just me.  I think everyone needs some of that "me" time, whether it is through running, walking, knitting, or even baking. 


When I run, I always run with one ear bud in and one stuck behind my ear.  By having the one tucked behind my ear I'm able to listen to the sounds around me: birds sings, dogs barking, distracted drivers texting on their phone heading right towards me . . . you get the picture.  With the one ear bud in, I listen to podcasts - mostly podcasts of some of my favorite preachers like Andy Stanley, Adam Hamilton, Erwin McManus, and Louie Giglio.  (For any of my preacher friends that might be reading this, let me point you towards one I've recently started listening to:  "Art of the Sermon," hosted by Dan Wunderlich - great stuff as he interviews different preachers and how they go through the process of crafting a message)  Today, I was listening to a podcast from Passion City Church (Louie Giglio's), and it was a part of a series they've been doing call "Don't Waste." Today's message was "Don't Waste Your Pain," and it was an interview with Jay and Katherine Wolf (learn more of their story at hopeheals.com).  When Jay was in his last year of law school, and they had a 6 month old child, Katherine suffered a massive stroke that put her in ICU for 40 days and caused significant impairment.  I know I'm paraphrasing it and probably messing it all up, but one of the things they talked about it how our suffering isn't to punish us; instead, our suffering is a tool to be used by us for God's glory.  Katherine talked about how people shouldn't feel sorry for what she's been through, because what she's been through has enabled her to tell her story of how God was with them through all of the difficult times.  Trust me - you need to hear their story. 


As I listened to that message, I thought about the pain that I felt with each step.  I was reminded of how when I had surgery on my arthritic toe, my doctor told me that my running had probably helped some, because through the running, a piece of the bone that was blocking up the joint had broken off.  I got to thinking about how God is using my running and my pain to actually keep my foot from being any worse - I think of it kind of like sandpaper smoothing things out.  And if I'm running and I don't feel the pain as much, that usually means I've altered my stride and leaning towards the outside of my foot - which caused a stress fracture a few years ago.  The pain in my foot lets me know that I'm running exactly as I'm supposed to.  The pain in my knee is nothing like the pain in my foot - it's more of a discomfort.  However, it's not getting any better, and so far it's not getting any worse. 


So as I set out on my run this morning, with all of these things on my mind, I had intended to only run 4-5 miles.  But somewhere in the middle of listening to that podcast, I began to notice something: I had no pain. None.  Not in my foot, not in my knee - none.  This wasn't a "runner's high," though that may have also occurred.  It was at that moment I felt so close to God - I felt as if He was right there running beside me.  And I could not stop.  So I ran the longest distance since I ran the NYC Marathon on 11/1/15 - I ran 9 miles.  I'm not saying that to brag, because I know that I have friends that can do that for a warm up and then go do interval training.  I say that because that's one of the main reasons that I run.  It's not to escape from pain, and it's not just to escape from my troubles or worries.  I run because that is one of the times that I feel closest to God. 


Running may not be your thing, and trust me - I get that.  But if you don't have that "thing" that can help you feel close to God, then let's find out what that thing may be.  I'd love to talk with you through that, because when we can find that thing that helps us feel close to God, a whole lot of pain can be washed away.