Baby Steps

Recently while I was on dailymile, I came across a fellow whose story I found inspiring: He was a new runner. Really new. So new, in fact, that he had just completed his first “run” — a 1-miler, consisting largely of walking, in 30 minutes. This man was, by his own admission, 100 pounds overweight. In the text field where most dailymile runners write their goal (typically an upcoming race), he wrote “a whole new self.”

I found his story inspiring for two reasons: I admired his conviction to turn over a new leaf, of course, but I also admired his honesty. Most Internet running forums are places where athletes go to brag. Here was a guy doing no such thing. He wasn’t trying to look good, he was trying to be better — a good example to keep in mind.

So I sent the guy a couple notes, one congratulating him, and the second telling him what I wish someone had told me when I first started running: Don’t ramp things up too quickly. When I first took up running a few years ago, I got carried away and ended up with a brutal case of shin splints.

The great thing about running is that with time and perseverance, you can really build up your strength. (My first run was not much different from that of the fellow I encountered on dailymile; and on Saturday I ran nearly 21 miles.) But to get there you need to be patient. You’ve got to stick with your workouts, and keep pushing yourself, little by little, every week.

And as I was reminded by a recent magazine editorial I read, the same is true for the Faith.

In the September 2009 issue of Columbia, the magazine of the Knights of Columbus (No, I’m not a Knight, I just happened to come across the article) managing editor Alton J. Pelowski (a marathoner) writes about this phenomenon:

… a training schedule for a marathon mirrors the advice of the saints, in that it starts out slowly and gradually increases in its demand. If a novice runner attempts to run a long distance without training, or a young Christian attempts to pray for extended periods and perform heroic acts without ever having done so, the feat often proves too formidable, and the goal is seen as not worth the effort.

On the other hand, if one does take the necessary time to train — and not just talk about it — then longer distances become easier with each successive week. In the same way, St. Thomas Aquinas and others have explained that when we come to possess the virtues, which rightly order our actions in thoughts and deed, then doing good becomes natural and seemingly effortless.

(Unfortunately I cannot link to the article itself, but you can see the whole issue here.)

That last part is, I think, key: That which becomes a habit (be it running or virtue) becomes easier over time. If we stick with it, if we don’t burn out too fast, we’ll get better. It won’t be so hard.

When it comes to deepening our faith or growing in virtues, where progress can often be elusive and setbacks are more common, this is all too easy to forget. But what we all see in our running can be a good reminder in our faith lives: Baby steps are the path to glory.

If he sticks with it, that man on dailymile could well run marathons one day. And if we persevere in faith, through God’s grace, we may all one day be saints.

(PS — Have you joined the Running Catholic group on dailymile yet? All are welcome and invited!)