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Spiritual reflection to start the day with Dr Linden Bicket, a teacher of literature and religion at Edinburgh University's School of Divinity

Good morning. The best thing that I have done for myself in the last year is beginning to run. My husband runs regularly, and I have long envied the freedom it offers him. I can see how elated he is by running, and how it allows him to spend more time out of doors. I was quite convinced that if I started, I would give up on running because I would feel discouraged by being slow, or that I’d injure myself.

Eventually I decided that I would give it a try. In October last year, I joined a Jog Scotland group that offered a weekly couch-to-5k programme. I signed up with no small amount of trepidation. I’ve never been a very sporty person, and while I love taking long walks, I spend a lot of time stopping to identify flowers, look at birds, and take photos, so it’s never been a very high-energy activity. I went along nervously to the first run, sure that I would decide that it wasn’t for me. Instead, I found that I love it. After I completed couch-to-5k, I joined a follow-on running group, and every week I enjoy the companionship and pleasure of a social run. I’ve run 5k races with friends, and I love the camaraderie of Park Runs, where you don’t compete against other runners – you just turn up and see how you get on that week, competing against yourself or just enjoying the chance to move on a Saturday morning. I relish the exhilaration of solo runs too – especially if I have the chance to run by the sea. I’ve signed up to my first 10k race in September, something I never thought I’d do.

Loving God, in whom ‘we live, and move, and have our being’, thank you for the joy of movement and the courage to try new things. Inspire us to keep learning and growing throughout our lives. Amen.