Issue 5 | Begin Again

Begin again.

Well, we're just under two weeks into the new year and I've already messed up my resolution. Logically, I know that I still have 350+ days to commit, but there's something about messing up a "streak" or run of progress that can really set the entire enterprise off. I don't think I'm the only one who falls into this temptation though.

On January 1, countless people handed over deposits to Your-Name-Here Gym and probably went for a few days. Well wouldn't you know, something came up one day, messed up the gym routine and they haven't been back since. Maybe you started a Couch-to-5k program and made it through Week 1 (If you did, you are awesome) and hey, maybe life happened, you missed a day and then after committing to make it up the next day something else came up and in a flash the entire plan fell apart.

Look, running isn't about perfectly checking off the boxes on a neat little training calendar. It's not about making sure you run X amount of miles or even run a certain time. I've said it before that these goals can definitely orient our training but if we put all our energy into checking the boxes that when something messes it up we convince ourselves that we've failed. My running philosophy has changed over the years and I've come to believe strongly that a good runner isn't about checking the boxes or hitting a time on a single day but committing to a lasting habit of running with integrity.

Friends, we know this to be true of our relationships with our loved ones and even more so with the Lord. If you resolved to, say, pray the Rosary every morning before work and then overslept one morning, and you had to switch it up to Hail Mary, full of Grace, help me find a parking space, it shouldn't mean that you abandon that goal altogether. You just try again the next day.

And if you fall short, try again. Begin again. Begin again.

So here's my invitation to you: if that Couch-to-5k plan that you printed off back in December is sitting on your desk with a few days checked off, don't abandon it. Begin again. Make Monday your Day 1 and begin again.

Friends, as Catholics we are called to a life of continual conversion. We must constantly begin again.

Get on those shoes, get that devotional back out and begin again.

I will be, too.

Quick Thoughts

A few quick thoughts on happenings in the world of running and the Church

1. The March for Life

We're just two weeks away from the March for Life so I hope that you will all be able to switch your running shoes for marching shoes for the day. Of course, I know that travel to the event isn't possible for everyone as we are spread throughout the US and Canada, so if you won't be in DC physically, I ask that you will pray for everyone making the trip. (And how about a few extra prayers for all the chaperones).

2. Michelle Williams, Leah Darrow

If you haven't seen by now, after accepting a Golden Globe for her work in Fosse/Verdon, Michelle Williams spoke quite openly about how her having an abortion allowed her to pursue her dreams and come to achieve the honor of a Golden Globe. To say that she has created a false dichotomy and essentially spat in the face of the Feminist movement she claims to support would be an understatement. (In her view, apparently, you can't be a mother and achieve your dreams, you have to choose). I wish I had the adequate words or platform to address the serious flaws in her logic, fortunately, we have the power and fire of Leah Darrow to turn to instead. If you have a moment, please give it a listen. Olympian Rebecca Dussault has also been sharing some powerful words about her own children and her Olympic dreams. In short, children are not a burden or stumbling block to our dreams.

3. Nike React Infinity Run

Nike recently released the Nike React Infinity Run shoe with a claim that runners will see a significant decrease in injury while training in these shoes. I think a few things are worth noting here. 1. At $160 a pair, Nike seems to be reading the signs that the "average" runner is willing to pay more and more for a pair of shoes, 2. After the big push of the Vaporflys and their ability to make your run "faster" it's interesting to see the new emphasis on health. To be honest, as someone who has dealt with injury, a silver bullet to the injury bug is definitely enticing. If I had to pick between racing fast but dealing with constant injuries versus never being injured but never getting to race fast, it would be hard to chose against constant health. Whether or not the studies and science behind this shoe are legit, I think Nike is onto something here.

Thing is though, while the Vaporfly supposedly increases your efficiency by 4% and this new shoe decreases injury rate, neither of these will make any difference if we're not taking care of the fundamentals. So look, if you want to run faster, you need to workout. Full stop. If you want to avoid injury, you need to strength train and work on your mobility. If you neglect core, you never run interval or track workouts and then hope running in these React shoes and racing in Vaporfly's will somehow get you to the Boston marathon you are in for quite the (expensive) wake-up call.

Team News

Upcoming events, prayer intentions and other items of note

Training Programs: 10k, Half Marathon, Full Marathon

Sign up here.

So after a number of followers expressed interest in doing a 10k or Full Marathon program instead of a Half, I'm committed to writing the additional programs if the interest is there. If 5 people sign up for a program, I'll write it and send it out.

To sweeten the deal, if 10 people sign up for a program, we'll drop the cost from $10 to $7 ($21 total) and if 20 people sign up for a program the cost will be just $5 ($15 total). So, invite, challenge, encourage, push, guilt, whatever you need to do, but get your friends and family to train with you.

If you are interested in any of the programs, you can fill out this interest form.

Feel free to copy and paste this url to send out to your running friends, running family and your actual family too!

https://forms.gle/j18h16wSRP8EZcbb8

N.B. To help keep the cost of the program low, the training shirts will now be an optional add-on and will be made available for $15. You can vote on the design here.

Sign up now, guys, it should be a great program!

Upcoming Saints

A Saint, Memorial, or Feast of the Week

Friday, January 17

St. Anthony of Egypt

Asceticism and self-mortification are practices seemingly scoffed at as pre-enlightenment notions of ascents to holiness. In our era of self-interest and us-first the concept of denial is entirely foreign. Yet it is Christ who tells us, if we wish to be his disciples we must deny ourselves daily and take up our cross (Matt 16:24)

St. Anthony of Egypt took this to heart and in the late third century sold everything that he had to live and pray in solitude. Ironically, his desire to for the ascetic and solitary life drew many others in their own desire for holiness. Not seeing solitude or asceticism as ends themselves, St. Anthony created the forerunner of what would soon become the common monastery.

Along with contemporaries seeking Christ in the ascetic and solitary way, St. Anthony's powerful witness to holiness also attracted many temptations. There are more than a few stories of St. Anthony in tussles with the devil and his ensnaring ways. Yet, in each it is the unplumbable depth of desire for God that sees St. Anthony come out the victor in every occasion.

Today, we may not find ourselves leaving everything behind for the North African desert, but St. Anthony of Egypt can teach us to practice small ways of asceticism and solitude in daily life. A small denial of a snack, a second cup of coffee, television or new clothes can help us stay grounded in what is truly important.

St. Anthony of Egypt, pray for us!

Prayer

A prayer or habit to take with you this week.

What practices - athletic, prayer or otherwise - did you hope to commit to? What has fallen to the wayside? Recommit to one of these practices and, if you fall short on day, do not see it as a failure, but as yet another opportunity to begin again.

That's it for this week friends. I'll do my best this week to recommit to my old resolutions and I invite you to do the same. As I said at the very top, sometimes the most important thing we can do is just tying our shoes and getting out the door. Commitment doesn't mean being perfect every day, it means taking the long view and developing something that will last.

Verso l'alto,

Patrick