"Do You Exercise Like a Nonbeliever?"

I've often defaulted to 1 Timothy 4:8 as one of the more direct Bible texts that address the activity of running. It says: "While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

Bodily training: valuble, but not ultimately valuable. Important, but not to the utmost. Sometimes the joys of an activity God has created can be so intense that it can tempt us to falsely believe that it is ultimate and worth sacrificing everything for. It's what life is all about. Texts like this in the Bible free us to enjoy bodily exercise, of which running is clearly the best form, for what it really is: an incredible, non-ultimate aid on the path to holiness.

But I've not given much thought to the few sentences that precede 1 Timothy 4:8, and how they could potentially relate to running. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 says: "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."

This article attempts to explore that connection further. I specifically appreciated the last section on how to pray for our exercise:

Father, please give me the will to overcome laziness tomorrow morning, lace up my shoes, and take the first step — and then work such discipline throughout my life in the fight against sin. 

Father, give me the drive to push my body beyond what is merely comfortable, to “discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:27), and work in me, by your Spirit, so that physical training serves the ripening of the spiritual fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23) 

Father, loosen my grip on my own performance and results and personal goals. May my exercise not ultimately be about me, but about my increased enjoyment of Jesus.
Father, guard me from valuing bodily training more than godliness. Rather, make these efforts holy, through my acting in faith, so that this exercise serves my holiness, instead of competing with it. 

Father, grant that I would know you and enjoy you more through pushing my body in this way. Let me feel your pleasure through this natural gift so that I am spiritually satisfied enough to sacrifice my own preferences and personal routines to meet the needs of others. 

Full link: "Do You Exercise Like a Nonbeliever" -- http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-you-exercise-like-a-nonbeliever