There, but for the Grace

I have often said that if you substitute any deviant behavior for running in my life, you’d probably want to lock me up.  If you have even a modestly addictive personality or are slightly obsessive / compulsive, you know how easy it is to over-indulge in the habit of running.  You hear it in the subtle choice of words.  “I want to” versus “I have to” versus “I need to” go for a run.  You see evidence of it in people’s cars, homes and cubicles.  You smell it from the well worn race T-shirts. 

But does that equation work the other way?  What happens if you substitute running for the deviant behavior?  On Saturday morning’s long run (my first 20 miler of the year), Scott told me about a group organized by Nick and Shane Sterner (father and son) at the Denver Rescue Mission.  This is an inspiring story and it is worth taking a few minutes to research. http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Sterner031108.aspx   They lead Activity Inspired Rehabilitation, an organization confronting homelessness and addiction through distance running.  The program introduces homeless people to running and shows them how to change their focus and live productive lives.

Here are the principles behind the program:

-Goal Setting helps participants stay focused on becoming healthy and productive members of the Denver community.

-Incremental Accomplishment through training and races builds self-esteem and self-confidence as program members create new identities.

-Health and Fitness Training creates lasting change in the health and fitness levels of AIR members, building a foundation for a lifetime of health and self-sufficiency.

-Positive Connection With The Community changes the way members feel about themselves, allowing them to make a positive connection to the people around them and become role models for others in need.

In 2010 23 men participated in the Rock-n-Roll Denver Marathon and Half-Marathon as part of the Denver Rescue Mission Marathon Team.  Preparing for and running a marathon changes you physiologically and psychologically.  For those who participate in Shane’s program, these changes bring them back to life.

We have all had the experience of running alone in the last few miles of a marathon with only our thoughts for company.  In some ways it is like a vision quest.  We all know the feelings of pain that pass over us as we try to reach our goal.  We know that we do not suffer alone.  There are those who have suffered more than we have.