{"id":630,"date":"2008-12-09T05:03:25","date_gmt":"2008-12-09T10:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/?p=630"},"modified":"2008-12-14T13:38:01","modified_gmt":"2008-12-14T18:38:01","slug":"why-do-you-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.teamcrossworld.com\/running\/2008\/why-do-you-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do you Run?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
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Sanctuary of Oropa from Flickr<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We all have different reasons for our running, but many of us run to get away from life for a short moment.\u00a0 Maybe it is the routines of our life that we are trying to get away from.\u00a0 When you run maybe you become a different person, soaring above the ground as a super hero or something…\u00a0 Maybe when you run you can’t stop, Forest Gump style! What do all of these have in common?<\/p>\n

Sanctuary<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep reading, what was the first thing that popped into your mind? Most likely it was the image of a church sanctuary or maybe a wildlife sanctuary.\u00a0 What is a sanctuary? Webster <\/a>gives it several definitions, but the ones I like and are the most relevant are a consecrated place<\/em> or a place of refuge. <\/em><\/p>\n

Continuing with my reading of Running – the Sacred Art<\/em>, Warren Kay shares the story of Henri Nouwen<\/a>, a Roman Catholic Priest and spiritual writer.\u00a0 Nouwen took some time away from work deadlines to find rest at a monastery.\u00a0 As his time there was ending he realized that nothing would have changed when he left so he talked to the head monk about it.\u00a0 Their solution was that Nouwen needed to spend time in prayer every day (a lot of time actually, 90 minutes).\u00a0 This would allow him to “create his own sanctuary in the midst of his everyday life” (pg 52).<\/p>\n

Warren shares this story because well-known runner and author George Sheehan<\/a> uses this story as an example of how running can be like finding your own sanctuary amidst the crowds and the hustle and bustle of daily life.\u00a0 Running…<\/p>\n

… is a place<\/p>\n

… takes you out of the often mind-numbing cycle of everyday routine<\/p>\n

… is a place you can go to regardless of where you are<\/p>\n

… can be your sanctuary.<\/p>\n

Kay says that “our runs can also be our sanctuary if we intentionally incorporate ritual into our routine” (pg 56). He suggests taking one run a week and making it a “sanctuary run”, do something a little different and truly focus on getting away.\u00a0 He suggest making it a ritual and including these elements:<\/p>\n