SPORTS November 16, 2009 Issue

MARATHON MILES

RICK LIPSEY

ON NOVEMBER 1, I joined about 40,000 other people in running the New York City Marathon. It was my 17th marathon overall, and my 16th as a volunteer guide for a disabled runner from the Achilles Track Club, an international organization dedicated to involving disabled people in running and other sports.

Preparing for a marathon requires running a lot of miles, but this hasn't been the most important part of my training regimen over the years. Prayer has always been the key for me. I pray to cultivate and nurture a spiritual perspective about running and about my identity, and to be sure that this perspective permeates every aspect of my training.

Goals. At the beginning of most runs, I quietly sing a couple of lines from one of my favorite hymns. For instance, "This is the day the Lord hath made; / Be glad, give thanks, rejoice" (Laura Lee Randall, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 342). The ideas take my thought directly to God, who is infinite Spirit, and remind me that my goal isn't to complete a certain number of miles or finish in a prescribed time. Rather, my goal is simply to rejoice in God's spiritual and real creation. Why? Because God is a loving God who fills His universe with good qualities: strength, grace, harmony, endurance, and hope, for example.