The Numbers Don't Lie

God’s giving me a small (but much-needed) dose of humility. You can see it for yourself. (Indeed, the more people who see it, the more humbling it is.) It’s right over there, to the right. Yep, that’s it: the text field marked “mileage.”

OK, OK, stop looking already! I know, it’s not pretty. Say it — I know you’re thinking it: “Slacker! How did you drop more than 50 miles from October to November!?!”

Sigh. I’m not proud. (Although I suppose that’s the point of a dose of humility, isn’t it?) But I have some excuses, really I do! First, I missed a long run because I had to travel for work. Then my whole family got the swine flu, and I missed an entire week of running — including another long run. Then, right after we sufficiently recovered, we traveled to Florida to visit my mother and, well, it’s hard to ditch mom to go run 20 miles, you know?

But the biggest disappointment of all is that I had been planning to run the Santa Barbara Marathon on Dec. 6. I even paid the entrance fee — trying to cash in on the earlybird pricing. But having missed out on three weeks’ long runs, there was no way I could get myself ready on time without risking an injury, and I didn’t want to do that again.

So, bye-bye race fee. Bye-bye Santa Barbara Marathon. Hello bruised ego.

But all things work for good for those who love God, right — even for slackers?

First Runday of Advent

Advent is, as we’re often reminded at this time of year, a period of preparation. We’re preparing, in an immediate sense, for the celebration of Christmas and, more abstractly, for Christ’s second coming. It’s also, as the word “advent” implies, an arrival, or beginning. Just as the world began anew with Jesus’ coming into it, so, too, does this season offer an opportunity for spiritual renewal, a new beginning. And, of course, it’s a time for us to contemplate the miracle that is the Incarnation.

Which brings me to running — and this blog.

Preparation
For the runner, life is almost always about preparing — preparing for that next big race, whenever it is. For me, the next one is the L.A. Marathon in March, and I’m ramping up my long runs now in preparation (13 miles this afternoon ...). Ideally, this preparation should always have a spiritual element — praying while running, or listening to something spiritually edifying, but it often doesn’t work out that way. The start of Advent is a good reminder.

A New Beginning …
… for runningcatholic.com. As you can see, I’ve made a few sporadic, half-hearted attempts to get this blog going before, but I’ve never applied myself diligently enough to make it happen. Well, as part of the penitential nature of this season, I’m committing myself to at least a post a day throughout Advent, even if that means staying up late to do it. (And now that I’m making this commitment public, I have a better chance of actually fulfilling it!) Hopefully, as with running, after forcing myself to do it for a short while, I will get into the habit (or addiction). God willing, Advent is exactly what runningcatholic needs.

The Incarnation
The runner is always keenly aware of his humanity — of his limitations, yes, as well as his potential. When pushing himself, he tests his body as well as his spirit. He knows, in a very real sense, what it means to be both a physical and a spiritual being. And through this knowledge, he — we — can only marvel all the more at the amazing reality that an all-powerful God would lower Himself to become one of us. To stand, to walk, to run on a pair of legs. To endure the failings of our fallen world. To be fully man, while never ceasing to be fully God.

Something to keep in mind this Advent, especially on those long runs, the ones that ache: This is the humanity Christ took on, enduring a suffering beyond our wildest comprehension, in the greatest act of love imaginable.

Happy Advent!