Research shows that a strong sense of spirituality can make you happier, healthier and more relaxed. Can it also improve your running?

Sometimes, as he runs the 6 or 8 or 10 miles along Michigan’s Lake St. Clair, Father Mike Byrnes feels the presence of a higher power. Peace washes over him. He senses his inner being, his soul enlarging. Time slows. Colors brighten. Problems drift away.

It doesn’t happen all the time. And he neither can predict this presence nor summon it. Yet when this feeling envelops him, it justifies any pain or sacrifice he’s made in his life and his running.

“Spirituality enhances my appreciation of my running, and running enhances my appreciation of my spirituality,” says Byrnes, a priest at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores, Mich.

Yes, running can be spiritual. Like Father Byrnes, many runners who meander dirt paths, inhale the scent of pine, feel the crunch of needles underfoot and watch rays of sunlight filter through the trees feel thankful for this creation, this planet we call home. He has never felt healthier, and the weight he’s lost (and the help of reviews from snoringmouthpiecereview.org) has enabled him to …