The Communion of Saints and Runners

There will be more races after next month. More for fun. More for challenges. More to share with my family—which, by the way, is also like our spiritual life. We train and run at our pace, but we can share the race. We train and grow in our faith at our pace, but we share the journey and encourage each other along the way. –me, January 6

If it weren’t for the encouragement of my husband and the support he gave so that I could make the training sessions, I wouldn’t have been able to complete that 10K last month. (Thanks, Babe!) And if it weren’t for my friend Jenna who led the training bootcamp and encouraged me along the way, I never would have even considered running that distance. Let’s be honest, I don’t find a rhythm until about mile 2.5 and by then I’m about ready to give up. I would not, without support and encouragement and training, have ever finished a 10K race.

With others, we can go farther. With people on (and often by) our side, literally running the same course offering their loving support and guidance, we persevere.

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There’s a long hill in our area, nearly a mile long, with just about a 2.5% grade. It’s a challenge for me to keep up a running pace of any sort on that stretch. I like a good challenge, but an uphill run for a mile? Puh-lease, no. Give me the short bursts so I can get that hill done and over-with. But my husband runs that hill, regularly. He kept telling me to give it a try, that he believed I could do it, and if I was going to get in long runs to train for my race, I’d have to give that route a try anyway (when running from our house).

That hill. I feared and dreaded it. I knew it’d help me gain strength and endurance, but like most people, I wanted to avoid the pain in the growth.

Hubs kept encouraging me.

So one day, I did it, (not without stopping that first time), and felt awful-amazing at the end. It was hard. But the feeling of accomplishment was great.

This hill is where I started to think about running spiritually, and where I’ve continued to see connections between running, relationships among runners, and the communion of Saints. 

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Saint Paul’s words fill my thoughts about running and persevering. I continue to believe he was a runner, or at least knew the effort required to finish a race.

Let us persevere in running the race that lies before us. -Hebrews 12:1

We know Saint Paul is talking about our relationship with Christ, and the life we lead because of faith. The race is the course set before us, to reach Heaven at the finish. He’s also talking about a group: us. It’s the communion of Saints in heaven and on earth, and we’re in this together.

Runners support each other. They once were the newbies, and now pass on the valuable lessons they’ve learned to people like me. And when they run with people like me, they’re not expecting me to be the fastest or most graceful (because I’m not!). They’re not looking for me to run just like them. My husband didn’t (and probably doesn’t) expect that I could match his pace at any point. My friend–who wins races–also didn’t expect me to match her pace. They both simply cheered me on and helped me grow as a runner.

Runners share the course. Jenna has run hundreds, if not thousands, miles more than I have. She has experience about what works and doesn’t, how to stretch and prepare, how to pace for a long run. What she knows, she passes on to me. When she’s run a course (like when we trained for the 10K), she passed on tips before we ran. I took all that help and made the race my own. When she ran with me in training, she slowed to my pace for a time, then pushed me to run faster, then left me to keep that pace on my own. It was a time of growth with her encouragement.

Runners are community. I have a tribe. Near and far. In real running groups and online cheering friends. And even people who don’t run are still part of this tribe! My parents are probably my biggest supporters, after my husband. They texted me on the morning of my 10K race, with love and encouragement. My husband nudges me to run on the weekends when I can, especially when he sees me lazing around instead of getting out to improve my health. 😉

Runners progress and run at their own pace, even when they sometimes run with others. When I ran with others and we kept the same pace, the training was still a different experience for each of us. Maybe it was an easier day for some, and a harder day for me. Still, the run was good. It was beneficial. It kept us moving towards a goal.

So it is with our faith journeys. We’re not alone, ever, even though our relationship with God is deeply personal. The people we surround ourselves with, the saints we ask for prayers, the books we read from spiritual powerhouses, all (should!) cheer us on and help us in our spiritual training. The Saints in Heaven have done this before us! They know the struggles and joys of life with Christ. They have “run the course” and have wisdom to share with us. And the want to help us! Think of Saint Therese the Little Flower, who said she will spend her Heaven doing good on earth! These saints are just waiting to be our support system.

For us women, saints like Monica and Joan of Arc and Frances of Rome and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross all have something to share with us about a feminine spirituality and relationship with Jesus. For mothers, we look to Monica and Gianna and Zelie. Even the saints with whom we don’t particularly relate have support and prayer (encouragement!) to offer us. They all want to see us persevere faithfully and finish the race. We have a heavenly tribe.

I think Saint Paul agrees.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us… -Hebrews 12:1

Looking for a running tribe? Check out the community on Instagram with @catholicwomenrun