Seeing as it was just Easter time and Boston Marathon time, it makes sense that I have been thinking a little more than usual lately about walls and crosses.

Not so much about the proverbial wall that a runner is said to hit at mile 20 or so of a marathon or the cross that Jesus was crucified on, but the gift of each. Specifically, the gift of perseverance that comes through building our faith and fitness.

The subject came up the other Saturday when I was doing my weekly long run with my long-time running buddy Dave, who was training for the Boston Marathon that was held this past Monday, April 18^th. Dave was doing his second of three 20-mile training runs to get ready for Boston, which prompted me to get up on my soapbox and sing the praises of long runs.

I don’t remember my exact words but they were something like this: Pushing ourselves through discomfort by running on a regular basis builds an endurance that helps us to push through discomfort in our lives.

A few days later, the subject came up again when I was having lunch with a friend who also is a runner. He asked me how things were going at work and I told him that our department was going through some challenges.

“Nothing like going through mile 18 of a marathon though right,” he laughed.

I have to say that I agree with him. Having run on a near-daily basis for over 30 years now, I am 100 percent convinced that the endurance built up through running makes one better able to face life’s challenges.

Just as I believe that exercising our faith on a regular basis builds an endurance that makes one better able to face life’s challenges as well.