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Running and Spirituality (Read 808 times)
NaderAlfie
posted: 3/27/2008 at 9:46 PM
modified: 3/27/2008 at 9:46 PM
Quote from andahuff on 3/27/2008 at 9:42 PM:
I reread this and realized I made a huge assumption in my answer that you were speaking about Christianity. I didnt mean to be myopic. Sorry!


I worded it broadly so that I could benefit from the insights of non-Christians, as well.
SurfNRun
Shake it!
 posted: 3/27/2008 at 11:02 PM
do pleas to god and other deities to make the pain stops count as being spiritual ? Every once in a while though, when things are clicking, I say DAMN!, that was spiritual.
"If I had only two days to live, I would invade a neighboring country, and force my own ideology on them, whether they wanted it or not. "
milkbaby
posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:57 AM
modified: 3/28/2008 at 1:58 AM
I find that running lends itself very well to spiritual practice. It is a physical task that can also have a mental and spiritual component to it. You have to have mental endurance to run for hours and stay on task. Running can also be spiritual as it gives you time to meditate on anything you want to. Of course, there are plenty of physical benefits to running as well!

I find that running keeps me rooted to the universe around me as I see, listen, smell, and feel the world around me when I run and feel more rooted to the present and the "now" than during many other activities. Just the physical activity of running is a reflection of how running keeps me balanced and rooted to the world, as each step requires my body to be in perfect balance (otherwise I would fall), each step puts me directly in physical contact with the ground reinforcing that grounded feeling of being part of the universe, and the sensation of flying with both feet off the ground reflects the dreams and possibilities of being a human being in this universe. As in life, running can also bring joy, elation, pain, and suffering, all of which contribute to your existence in this world.

I am not Christian, nor do I believe in any god(s), but I think everybody of any belief or creed can use their running to help realize how wonderful and miraculous this world is and to appreciate their place in the universe. If you give thanks or say a blessing before a meal, consider saying the same before your run as it is no less a gift. Personally, running has contributed an incredible amount to my personal physical, mental, and spiritual growth. It didn't start out that way, but that's what it has evolved into. It is one of the ways that I can experience and be thankful that there is something -- this incredible universe -- instead of nothing.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"I have need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice about me to melt."
-- William Lloyd Garrison
"The marathon is an art; the marathoner is an artist."
-- Kiyoshi Nakamura
Kennyd
posted: 3/28/2008 at 2:48 AM
Quote from milkbaby on 3/28/2008 at 1:57 AM:
Running lends itself very well to spiritual practice.
If you give thanks or say a blessing before a meal, consider saying the same before your run as it is no less a gift.


Amen.

Pardon me if I don't go through the formalities of blessing my runs, but...

Amen.
tiggerunner
posted: 3/28/2008 at 10:50 AM
Smile I thank God every day that I CAN run. It just puts me in a place of joy and even on my worst run I try to be grateful to be able to live the life I do.
Blessings to all

I'm the one saying a prayer before every race!
Kathy
tuf_aint_enough
posted: 3/28/2008 at 12:14 PM
I remember a time when these forums were about Running.
Kennyd
posted: 3/28/2008 at 12:32 PM
Quote from tuf_aint_enough on 3/28/2008 at 12:14 PM:
I remember a time when these forums were about Running.



OK, more inspirational running music?

Pink Floyd

Run Like Hell
modal
Bloody Nipple
 posted: 3/28/2008 at 12:59 PM
modified: 3/28/2008 at 1:01 PM
Quote from Kennyd on 3/27/2008 at 7:51 PM:
Van Halen

Running with the Devil Wink


That has to be one of the funnier Van Halen tracks... ahhh yeahh...yeahheaheahwooowooyeahheayahhea, woooo ahhyeahhaha one more time, or whatever he says... Big grin

Second only to Beautiful Girls when used in the SNL Schmitts Gay ad .
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slosh252
posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:00 PM
Norman Greenbaum's - Spirit In The Sky

AC/DC - Highway to Hell

The only time I listen to music is on a treadmill. Highway to Hell would definitely get a speed increase.
slosh252
posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:01 PM
Quote from tuf_aint_enough on 3/28/2008 at 12:14 PM:
I remember a time when these forums were about Running.


Cry Waaaaah
dnice
posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:16 PM
Quote from NaderAlfie on 3/27/2008 at 9:35 PM:
Interesting. I am a church-goer and yet agree with every word of the above. That was really helpful. Thank you.

Incidentally, I also found your post on running a marathon as an achievement versus running as a long-term lifestyle helpful and it played a big part in my decision to switch from a full marathon to a half as my first race.


That's nice to hear. Thanks.
paul_26.2
2008 Du Run Run-Duathlon
 posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:17 PM
Of course now that The Bible is on CD, I've got it on my ipod and lisen to The Bible on my runs.
running/weight goals for 2009…

1) STAY INJURY FREE!!!
2) Get to 200 lbs by the end of May…and stay there
3) Get below 20% body fat (currently at 25%)
4) Break 25 minutes in a 5k (current PR 25:41)
5) Break two hours in a half marathon (current PR 2:05:09)
6) Run 1,400 miles for the year
zoom-zoom
Registered for #2
 posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:27 PM
Quote from SurfNRun on 3/27/2008 at 11:02 PM:
do pleas to god and other deities to make the pain stops count as being spiritual ? Every once in a while though, when things are clicking, I say DAMN!, that was spiritual.


Yes.

Quote from milkbaby on 3/28/2008 at 1:57 AM:
I think everybody of any belief or creed can use their running to help realize how wonderful and miraculous this world is and to appreciate their place in the universe. If you give thanks or say a blessing before a meal, consider saying the same before your run as it is no less a gift. Personally, running has contributed an incredible amount to my personal physical, mental, and spiritual growth. It didn't start out that way, but that's what it has evolved into. It is one of the ways that I can experience and be thankful that there is something -- this incredible universe -- instead of nothing.


Yes.

Smile
Kirsten
'07: 1324.5 mi
'08: 1561 mi
...

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.: 2009 Goals :.
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jeremys
posted: 3/28/2008 at 1:29 PM
Sometimes I take a short passage of scripture and try to synchronize it with my breathing when I run. This evening it was from 1 Corinthians 13. "Love is patient, love is kind." Over and over. Kind of a meditation I guess.
Jeremy
HStreet
Older and Slower
 posted: 3/28/2008 at 2:00 PM
I would strongly recommend the book Running the Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin. Roger is an Episcopal priest who uses his running as a method of contemplative prayer. Here's some more info.
http://www.gracecathedral.org/av/interviews/int_20030827.shtml
"It's not who wins the workout..."

5K PR 19:21
1/2 M PR 1:29:25
Marathon PR 3:08:55

Recent PRs
5K 26:16
1/2 M 1:59:24
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