Church of the long run

(another) Sunday soliloquy

Politics and religion. Almost universally, these are the two verboten topics of conversation, right?

Apparently not!

During two of our extended running group’s holiday runs, both broad themes were broached!

The first holiday run was where politics was on the verbal docket. Fortunately, I was out of state for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so I dodged those verbal bullets – although, truthfully, I wouldn’t have had much to add.

The second holiday run was when religion came up, and I think I stoked the fire of this conversation. It was a (mostly) civil conversation, that just got a bit heated (only on one side of the discussion) toward the end of the run.

How are religion and running connected? This might be a stretch, but I think there is something to it.

Have you ever heard the phrase “the church of the long run?” Well, here’s the thing! I just Googled it, and Mr. AI instantaneously came back with THIS:

“The Church of the Long Run is a metaphor for the weekly long run, a ritual that some runners use to reflect and grow. It's a time to set goals, push limits, and feel a sense of connection.”

Not coincidentally, many long runs occur on Sunday, which is usually associated with church services in most denominations. In fact, our collegiate team at Marist almost always has Sunday long run practice, and it’s among the most important things we do.

Full disclosure: I am a practicing Catholic. I attend weekly Mass, and I consider myself devout in my faith. I rarely talk about this, in any setting or any context on any given day. I don’t “wear it on my sleeve,” as they say.

Whenever faith comes up in our weekday run group, which isn’t often, we generally reach a quick consensus in matters of faith: It’s deeply personal, and it’s between you and God, and that’s that. Such a succinct statement can generally be agreed upon by a majority of people.

For serious runners, the Sunday long run is sacrosanct. It is not to be trifled with, and nothing – perhaps not even church worship services – should get in its way. Thus, “the Church of the Long Run.”

They are not mutually exclusive. Long runs can be on Saturday, and so can religious services. Or, you can accomplish both on the same day.

Our faith journey and our long run journey can feature other similarities.

--They take faith (of course), perseverance and time to build and to grow.

--They involve personal growth and endurance.

--They are a journey with no end (there is no finish line).

--As stated above by our friend AI, both can forge a sense of connection.

--And yes, Sunday worship and/or Sunday long run can be the culmination and highlight of your week, the most important element in both journeys.

There. I just attempted to tackle one of the hot-button topics you are not supposed to talk about, hopefully without offending anyone.

So anyway? Who did you vote for in November? JUST KIDDING!

Whether your Sunday involves a long run, a worship service, or both, or neither, I hope you can find satisfaction, fulfillment and meaning at the end of the day – today and as many days as possible.