By Father Eugene Hemrick | Catholic News Service

Unlike most other cities, Washington is a place of numerous marches and protests. To name a few, there are marches for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, pro-life, on the Fourth of July and to fight breast cancer.

Undoubtedly, marches are meant to call attention to deeply felt concerns. Are they, however, about more than this? Are they about ultimately achieving success in a cause? How can these marches or protests help and what should participants do to ensure success? Are there lessons that marchers can learn from runners when it comes to long-term success? Allow me to cite what I learned from my marathon days to reflect on this.

First, in marathon training, you spend laborious hours getting into shape, and you realize that it takes very little time to get out of shape. Muscles need continuous maintenance to perform properly.

Second, muscles need nourishment to perform at their best. A healthy diet and proper aerobics are major fuels for sustaining a high level of energy and stamina.

Third, muscles require a regimen of stretching. To run smoothly, you must be flexible. When muscles are limber, the body works in harmony. Often runners don't take sufficient time to limber up and consequently run against muscles refusing to be pushed.

Speaking metaphorically, marches are about the most vital muscle in our body: the heart. For success, marchers should spend extended time listening to their heart and its purpose. As in running, they need to hear what it says lest they quickly lose heart. Achieving this requires going inside the self repeatedly and reflecting on why and what a march is truly about.

When running, one temptation is to be misled by excitement, to forget to pace oneself, and hence, not achieve the goal. Prudence counsels "look afar, keep your eyes fixed on achieving your true purpose and don't let the clamor and excitement of others mislead you."

If marchers are to stay true to themselves and the course they have taken, they need to nourish their heart with sound literature, discussions and workshops. They need to fuel themselves with wisdom and understanding at its best.

Marchers are often tempted to get "locked" into an issue and, hence, end up with hardness of heart. The death knell of many a march is rigidity. Marchers or protesters who are unwilling or forget to stretch risk not expanding their hearts continuously.

The goal of most marathoners is feeling exhilaration at the finish line, and saying, "I did it!" The "it" of a march is somewhat different from the goal of a marathon; it is not about "I." It is rather about "you" and the heart of another. Ultimately, it should be a heartfelt desire to change another's heart for the better.