Many runners are now realizing that this healthy form of exercise is like yoga — a path to spiritual fulfillment. According to Warren Kay, chair of the department of religious and theological studies at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, and assistant coach of the cross-country and track teams, "spirituality is concerned with fostering a right relationship with ourselves, with others, and with God." He recommends that runners who want to deepen and enrich their experience of running keep a journal with motivational and inspirational quotations, thoughts, and sayings. Other uses of a spiritual running journal are sprinkled throughout this paperback.
Kay makes good use of illustrative material from the movie Chariots of Fire and from runners/writers Roger Bannister, Jeff Galloway, James Fix, George Sheehan, and others. His chapters lay out specific ways runners can transform this experience into spiritual practice:
• Seeing God While Running
• Running as Sanctuary
• Prayerful Running
• Meditative Running
• Sacramental Running
• Running as Pilgrimage
Kay's suggestions for turning running into an opportunity for spiritual practice are very helpful and down-to-earth. This volume is part of Skylight Paths' series "The Art of Spiritual Living."
