The year was 1981 and I was nine years old.  Ronald Reagan was president, MTV launched its first broadcast, and a little movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the theaters.  It was also in that year that I began running, and nearly four decades later, I have not stopped.

I guess I did run earlier than that, but it was then that I began running seriously, beyond just running on the playground or running home for supper.  My dad was preparing for a P.T. test and needed to drop a few pounds in order to achieve what the Army required.  I remember him putting on a pair of striped socks and donning his Saucony running shoes in the den.  Then he turned to me and said, “Jeff, why don’t you come running with me?”  We set out into the night up a long hill and into the dark, and it stuck; all these years later I’m still running.

Running is great exercise.  If done correctly (and with some good luck) it can continue into one’s older age without serious injury.  It keeps the pot belly in check for sure and is great for our cardiovascular and emotional health.  Some even talk of a euphoric experience they call the “runner’s high”, a point at which one feels he or she could run forever.  This feeling is addictive and keeps you going out for more.

Aside from these physical benefits, running has taught me a good bit about life.  It’s no coincidence; the Bible is full of comparisons between running and the spiritual life.  One of David’s mighty men, Asahel, was famous for his swift running.  A well-known passage in Isaiah encourages us to wait upon the Lord that we might run and not grow weary.  In 2 Timothy Paul likens the Christian pilgrimage to a race.  There are many others.

I’m writing a book that considers these analogies.  Here are a few that I was pondering on a recent run.

One thing I’ve learned is that half of it is just putting my running shoes on.  That is, it’s the mental decision to just do the right thing and go for a run.  Once I have the shoes on, a run is about inevitable.  Sure, the run might exhaust me, but once the shoes are on, I’m committed.  Life is the same way.  Often it’s about just doing the next right thing.  I can’t get to B or C until I’ve done A.  So just do the next necessary thing to stay the course and before you know it you’ve run a few miles down the road and you feel better.  It all started with putting the shoes on.

Another thought: Be yourself.  In the early days I remember being self-conscious when running, especially in the presence of perfect specimens who wore the most expensive shoes and had the perfect gait.  I’d straighten up when I passed by them in an effort to feel better about myself.  Forty-six-year-old Jeff is much different.  I sprawl along, my gangly body slinging all over the place.  When I run I look like a skeleton on a bungy cord bouncing up and down as I make my way along.  No matter.  It works for me and keeps me loose.  Again, life is the same.  Once we get comfortable with who we are and what we can do, we can be that person and accomplish our marching orders much more successfully, and with much more joy.

A final lesson I’ve learned:  Running is about enjoying the journey.  When I was a younger man, I relished in that sub-6 minute mile or that great 10k time.  Not so much anymore…these days I’m content to plug along at whatever pace is right for me.  Rather than enjoying the achievement of running, I relish in the experience of running.  The two are very different, and this applies to life as well.  It is said that we spend the first half of our life figuring out who we are and the second half being the same.  As I look at my life I see that I’ve spend four decades accomplishing things, but I am transitioning to spend the next four on leaving a legacy.

We are all running the race of life.  From one runner to another, I’d say there are many things we can learn along the way as we head toward the finish line.  Be encouraged in these things, and maybe we’ll see each other one evening bounding down the highways and byways of Augusta.