Runners are a funny breed. Or at least some of us are. There's something in us that keeps us pushing... plodding along when we'd rather be at home... lifting the pace when we'd rather just throw in the towel... reaching deep within ourselves when we'd much rather forget about the whole thing and eat a pizza or something. And sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes running is just plain old work. Sometimes you need to just push through those difficult runs.

But sometimes... sometimes it's not such a good thing. Sometimes instead of pushing, we need to simply rest.

I've read a lot lately about rest. Fitness, it seems, doesn't happen so much in the run as it does in the rest and the recovery. Running stresses. Running breaks things down. Running pushes our muscles, stresses our system... maxes our bodies to the point of breaking. Rest allows our bodies to repair the damage. And even more: repair the damage in such a way that we are ready for even more than before. Our bodies adapt through the recovery phase. Sometimes we need to just rest.

I find myself doing the same thing spiritually. I strive and I struggle, and I make great gains. I feel good about myself--my relationship with God. But then there comes a dry time. Those gains aren't so great. Sometimes it seems as if I'm going backwards--loosing ground. So what do I do? Try harder. Keep pushing. Fight through it. And sometimes that's what I need to do. But other times... other times I just need to rest.

Sometimes I think those dry times come to remind me that it's not my striving that matters. It's not the "great gains" I make spiritually that count. What matters... what counts is am I resting in God?

Jesus says, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace" (Matthew 11.28-29, The Message).

Sometimes I need to quit forcing and simply rest.

Running has become something of a prayer for me. I know I'm not alone. Others have made that spiritual connection between running and God before me. But it's new for me. Running is new for me. Or at least new again. Twenty years ago-in what seems like another life-I ran. But it's different now. I'm older. I'm slower. But I'm also more thoughtful.

As I run, my mind seems to chase down trails of thought. Often without direction. Sometimes on carefully guided paths. But always with a free reign. Sometimes there's one thought. Other times there are many. Sometimes, near the end of the run, they become connected-almost like it's taken all this time to disconnect myself (my prejudices and preconceived notions) in order to see just how they fit together.

What I'd like to do is record (maybe even remember) some of these thoughts... Some of these connections. Like many of the thoughts on my runs, I'm not sure where this will take me. But destinations aren't nearly as important as the journey. I suppose I'm really not after "getting somewhere" as much as I am about opening up to the journey and the discovery that waits along the way.

I've picked the name "On the Run" for my first Blog because that's what it's about-those thoughts that meet me on the trail as I run... those prayers that become for me bread and life... those spiritual encounters I have... on the run.