Turning Seasons

This morning's run was a bit of a shock--about 50 degrees, windy, and rainy. What happened to summer? We will almost certainly still get some hot weather, but the new season is upon us. In my town, today is the first day of school. Which seems a bit strange since it will be the first "first day" in nearly 20 years that we have not put someone on the bus for the start of a new adventure. A marker of the year no longer applies to my life. In years to come I will need to find other ways to mark the passing of summer into fall. No more trips to the store for pencils, folders, and notebooks. No more open house where we scramble to make it to every classroom to meet every teacher before the kids tire of the exercise. No more "first day" pictures on the front steps.

Out running this morning I was thinking that my "frontiers" of running in this new season will also need to change. My next running target will not likely be a longer distance, a faster pace, or a more challenging race. In some ways I will need to find satisfaction in doing the same or less, rather than always striving for faster and farther. I don't feel like this is settling for mediocrity. I feel like it is an inevitable fact of life. I should not need to stop running, but I am not 25 any more and, generally, I will not get faster or find it easier to run farther.

Can I move into a new season of how I measure and value my running? Is there some different aspect of the run that I can find challenging and satisfying? Do I need to look outside myself--to others--to find satisfaction in their running accomplishments? I am so proud of Hannah and my friend Jeff. Neither have really been runners, but they are well on their way to getting to the starting line, and then finishing the Twin Cities Marathon. A year ago Jeff would have laughed at the notion that he would run a 20-miler (last Saturday) and be walking around on Sunday just like nothing had happened. Be he is discovering joy in a place where he never expected it.

At some point, many people run into this dynamic in their faith. The quick growth has slowed to a more moderate pace. Does that mean that I am not growing? Has my faith lost its vitality? Am I growing cold-hearted toward the things of God? I am realizing more and more that the way to find an ongoing dynamic of faith is to build into the next spiritual generation. Simply doing more of what I have been doing will not ultimately be satisfying. The move from player, to player-coach, to coach will be what keeps things fresh. Now I just need to find some players who need some coaching.

Pressing On!
-Ken