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Usually Sunday morning races aren’t an option for me, but not this year. Following the announcement of the March shutdown, worship moved to Zoom and was held in the afternoon. This not only allowed me to run this particular Sunday morning race without taking a vacation day, but this change also allowed for many Sunday morning runs.
Sunday runs became one of my favorite things this year. In the year where so much was pivoted, so much was lost, so much was uncertain, these runs grounded me. I didn’t expect Sunday runs to feel so different than any other, but they did. I often ran in the late morning and would be thinking about worship, about my sermon, about the people I serve alongside. I would pray for the people, places and situations that were on my mind.
Worshiping on Zoom is a different experience and spending time running outside helped me to show up better. It pulled me away from the virtual space where so much of ministry is taking place and grounded me in God’s creation. The sunshine, heat, humidity, cold, wind and rain all reminded me of God’s presence in my life and in our pandemic moment. I was moved by the changing of the seasons and was reminded that this will change too. I will change, the church will change, and God will remain faithful.
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The fourth and final race of the Full Moon Trail Series was held on Sunday, November 1. I showed up on a cold and wet morning to run 5 miles with people who are used to running Sunday morning races. As we waited for the race to start, the rain stopped. We socially distanced at the start-line and when the time came, we were sent out in waves again reminding us to be safe and cautious. I ran excited to be racing on a Sunday. I ran knowing that I would lead worship later that day. I ran happy to be moving my body in this way, paying attention to the terrain, moving up and down steep hills, splashing through water, aware of it being a great way to start the day.
I also ran thankful. I knew on November 1 that November 29 would bring a change to worship time and would put a stop to these Sunday morning runs. Knowing this got me out for a run every Sunday in between. Each time I went out on a Sunday morning, I was grateful for the gift these runs were to me. I knew they wouldn’t last. I knew it wasn’t meant to be a part of my new normal. But it was a gift of this time. It was a highlight of these past 8 months. It was a way in which I showed up for myself in a slightly different way. It was and is a reminder to live in the present and to make room for connection with myself, with God, and with creation.
