Muddling Through

A verse in the Christmas song, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," struck a chord in me...

Through the years we all will be together, If the fates allow; Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow; And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.

Muddling through was what I pretty much did in the marathon I ran December 2nd this year in Sacramento, CA. It was by far the stormiest running in the 30 years of the race, the California International Marathon (CIM). Gusty winds blowing in every direction and inches of rain pouring down on the course. Broken branches strewn on the soaking pavement of running water and silt. As puddled and mired the course became, I and a whole lot of runners muddled through the race somehow.

T'was just like how I managed this Christmas and the year 2012 that was - a full year without my wife. Although the storms in my life were not as epic as the CIM's storm, some of them were turbulent enough to blow my emotional state to pieces. I just miss her terribly as I learn to live my life without her. And that is all there is to it. Until that day we are reunited in God's eternal place for us, keeping her memory alive in my runs, praying for other people's intentions, and living each moment with love like she did, I will get through for sure!

So next year, my prayer runs will go on and hopefully, more of my "reflections on the road" posted a lot more often. You can help me by "liking" my PrayingRunner Facebook Page, http://www.facebook.com/prayingrunner and sharing it on yours.

Thank you and God speed!

Sacrament(o) of Running

Just got back from a marathon in Sacramento (CIM). A capacity 9,000 strong runners in attendance, including the relay teams. Beautiful people, perfect weather, a great race in the runner-friendly city of Sacramento.

There I am in the midst of a community of runners and a crowd of cheering and supportive people. It is CIM's 29th successful running and have continuously grown in numbers and supporters. This is my 6th running of CIM and in each time I have felt the same joy and excitement of running this race.

During the run, I am honored to meet a couple of people. No less than the President of the Board of Directors of CIM, Denis Zilaf, who prayed and ran with me for a mile or so. Douglas, from Fleet Feet of Menlo Park who asked to pray for him that God lead him to an opportunity to lead a faith group in his church; and Chris W. who was inspired to pray during his runs after he saw me at a race in Half Moon Bay. He plans to run 52 half-marathons in 2012 in honor of his daughter Grace.

Most of the time though I fervently prayed and pondered in my heart all the prayer intentions that were sent to me. Praying for others during the run was where I felt a feeling of fulfillment much greater than finishing the marathon. Like a sacrament, running in Sacramento today was a reminder of God's presence in our lives and His great love for us. I thank God for being able to run with other runners today, pray with others, and pray for others.

You were always there at CIM to meet me at the finish
and take away my medal and put it around you.
Here it is, my Love. I love you and miss you so much!

The Family that Runs Together, Stays Together

San Francisco Marathon 2005

I used to drag everybody in my training runs and races.  My wife wasn't too hard to persuade because she wanted to stay fit.  All she needed was someone to motivate her.  But my only son was difficult because he'd rather do something else with his friends.  However, I was successful on many occasions to take him along by making it interesting for him.  We'd run first around the neighborhood, then run to the nearest restaurant.  Or I'd do a running log for him and we'd agree on a reward when he's completed his mileage.  But this was a few years ago.  In this post, you'll find a family photo of us in the San Francisco Marathon in July 2005.  My wife and son completed the Progressive Marathon while I did the full Marathon.  It's one of my favorite pictures displayed in our study room at home.  It reminds me of how we enjoyed running together and how we incorporated running into our family fun time.  Unfortunately, life has its twists and turns.  My wife's cancer came back in 2006 and spread throughout her body.  We were able to do one more run together in June of that year.  But the cancer was very aggressive and the chemotherapy treatments very strong that she is unable to run with my son and I anymore.  However, she does her best in so many ways to still support my son and I in our running.  My son is older now and he has taken running as one of his favorite sports.  He competes in cross country and track and field and joins road races whenever he can.  He has won a lot of medals in all his events.

Turn Around

I was quite hesitant to run outside today.  It was a cold winter morning with a slight wind chill factor.  I headed out anyway and went west. There was a chilly breeze that met me head on.  My hands immediately were feeling icy cold.  I kept going anyway thinking that the sun would come out behind the horizon and start thawing me out.  True enough, as I made my turn back at the third mile, the first rays of sunlight greeted to warm my face.  Gradually the air became crisp and comfortable.  I picked up my pace as I headed home.  I felt rewarded for deciding to head out today in spite of the cold weather.

My run today reminded me about the sacrament of reconciliation I went to last night.  Prior to confession, I stayed on the cold and dark path of my anger and pride issues.  I was aware I wasn't an angry person but I just let the feeling take over me for too long.  However, I wanted to turn around and head towards the right direction.  So I went to confession that night.  Just like my run this morning, the decision to turn to God for forgiveness gave me a sense of joy and relief.  I could relate my run to the meaning of repentance which comes from the Greek word "metanoia" which means "to turn around" or "to turn back".  It was a meaningful way for me to prepare for Christmas Day which is just a few days away.  I was glad I ran today and went to confession last night.

In God We Trust

I ran into my runner friend today after a dawn mass at church. We trained for and ran two marathons together in Sacramento, CA. We ran many a prayer run during training and had some memorable faith sharing while carbo loading on marathon eve. We share a lot of things in common, including a knack for wit and humor. Every time we see each other, we know that we have some banter up our sleeves to try to outwit the other. The other thing we have in common is our contemplative nature. We have just as much depth as fun once we start talking about how we're doing. After an exchange of good-natured teasing, we simply start catching up and reassuring each other that God continues to work in our lives.

I've learned a lot from him specially because of his faith-filled life. Always with a smile on his face, he seems to find God in every person, every event, and every little thing. He shared to me one of his practice every time he goes out for a run, which I like to write about today. In his house is a jar half full of change. It used to be empty but it gradually filled up to where it is now. He said that it is a reminder of how God has showed confirmations to his prayers. When he's praying about something, he usually asks for a sign. Some of the signs come when he's running. Those signs are the change that he picks up from the ground when he's doing his running work outs. Those change he said doesn't belong to the ground. He considers every penny and change sacred because of the words inscripted on them "In God We Trust". He accords a measly change with reverence by picking it up, putting it in a special jar, and taking it as a confirmation of God to his prayers. Such is my friend's awareness of God's presence in everything.

It's too bad we couldn't do a run together after the Mass today. However, our brief meeting was enough to remind me to keep trusting that God continues to work in every person, every thing, every time.