The Badge of Running - Pain or Pleasure?

If you're a true runner, you will know the answer to this question. It is neither pain alone or pleasure alone; it is both. Yes, the badge of running is both pain and pleasure.

Somedays, running is the biggest pain in your life. Everything in you says, "Don't go running!" Your mind is telling you this, your body is telling you this, and your emotions are telling you this too! When this happens, the runner who has been running since they can remember, pins on the badge, ties up the laces and sets out the door to do their duty. And they run, in pain.

On other days, running is such pleasure. Nothing can keep you from running. It seems effortless and you take flight as if you were a gust of wind. The clarity of mind, the jubilation of emotion and the strength of body that takes over is pure wonder. How fun to wear a badge like this!

As for the past two running experiences I had, one was most pleasurable (that was the 4 mile run on Tuesday) and the run today was a bit on the painful side. I had wonderful weather on both of these days! But today I ran fuelless and that was the biggest reason it was a difficult 4 mile run. I had been 18 hours into a fast. Wow, what a difference fueling and carb-loading makes. It was pain, but I finished without caving in to all the demands my body, mind and emotions were placing on me to stop.

After completing my course, the pleasure part did come as it always seems to do. I was reminded of the badge of Christ. I once heard that the badge of Christ was not a cushion but rather a cross, only a cross. I do know that as a Christian I am called to deny myself, pick up my cross daily and follow Jesus. But I also know that to lose my life in this way means finding it. So really that badge of Christ, though painful, ultimately ends with the most profound peace and joy. Sounds like comfort to me - sweet and soft, just like a cushion!