When I first started running, I was reluctant to call myself a “runner”. Even when I’d completed my first race, I wouldn’t openly describe myself as a “runner”. It wasn’t a label I was ready to wear. I’m not really good enough to be known as a “runner”, I thought, but then I read an article that proclaimed, “if you run – then you are a runner”. It went on to explain that all runners, of all abilities, are striving to improve themselves. Further, faster, fitter.
On my Christian journey I remember similar moments. How strange it felt to say aloud “I am a Christian” and “I believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ” for the first time. …And how bemused my work colleagues looked when I invited them to my baptism.
Both faith and running are disciplines, and as the name implies, they need to be worked at. Every training session, building on the last, to reap the reward come race day. Developing the resilience that will hold you in good stead when it really starts to hurt, and you are a long way from home.
Hebrews 12:1 “Run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
At times, the race will be hard. There will be challenging times. Some may throw in the towel, lose their faith, stop believing. This is when our perseverance is put to the test.
Hebrews 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised.”
Runners realise that even when the training has been good and the body feels prepared, there is the need to get your hydration correct. Countless runs flounder because of poor hydration. The final instruction from many a summer race marshal is often words to the effect of “be safe and remember to hydrate out there on the course”. Rehydration is essential for Christians too. By revisiting the words of the Bible and drinking in their meaning we can gain the necessities to maintain our faith and run with endurance to the prize.
These days, I tell anyone who wants to hear; that I am a Christian……. I am a Runner……. I am a Christian Runner.
CHRISTIAN Runners NZ 
Some great insights in your post, John. I love the picture of training as a discipline in parallel with spiritual disciplines or practices. Learning to listen for the voice of God is not something that just happens, it is a practice- spending time chewing on the words of Jesus, taking in the nutrients, drinking in the spirit. These things sustain us during the race. Then when we ‘hit the wall’ as we inevitably do in life, we won’t stop but can reach into the well of living water which he has dug deep for us.
Thanks Jeremy. Absolutely agree. You have expressed it so well. I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on some of the other blogs; “Injured” and “Tailgater” in particular.