A Bend In The Road

My friend Enrique, running his first ever marathon at the California International Marathon (CIM), was starting to get utterly exhausted when he saw Mile Marker #26. Excited to finish and thinking that that was the finish, he began to sprint all out to the marker. What he didn’t realize was that the finish line was actually 285 yards more around the bend! The finish at the CIM was a straightaway of about one and a half miles, then two hairpin left turns. With the benefit of hind sight, he said that explained why there was hardly any fanfare at Mile 26. But he was enthralled to see the cheering crowd and the celebration when he made the turn at the bend.

Highland Road in Danville, CA. Picture taken
coming down from my grief retreat at San Damiano.

How interesting to see that sometimes our journey in life happens in a similar way. We go through life on a

straight path then suddenly there’s a bend in the road. Sometimes these turning points in our journey are not of our own choosing, but how we deal with them can define who we are. I met Joan at a grief weekend retreat. She was happily married for 30+ years when she lost her husband to suicide. She agonized in grief and guilt for quite some time, but after a few years she decided to go back to school even at her old age to become a grief counselor.

The road of life is never easy. Just when you think that yours is really hard, then you learn of somebody’s that’s even more tragic. In that same weekend, I met different people whose lives have been greatly affected by a death of a loved one. But one thing I saw common in all of them was that at the bend in the road, they hung on to their faith in God. They trust that that same bend in the road will actually lead them to God. I remember my son’s coach in track and field when he was running the curve in the 200 meters telling him to lean in. He said to counteract the force that pushes you outward when you run the curve, you need to lean into the curve. Trust those bends on the road are God’s, and then lean on Him.

This Sunday, on September 29^th, I will be running the Half Moon Bay International Marathon (HMBIM). Unlike the CIM, the Half Moon Bay Marathon has a hilly finish. It also has a dozen of hairpin twists and turns! But I’m actually thankful for those bends on the road up and down the hilly course because they allow for an easier and safer running. Imagine if you want to avoid the turns and just go straight up the hill, you would have to negotiate an extremely steep slope!

The HMBIM will be #33 on the road to my “50 x 50” goal. Fifty marathons by the time I turn 50 years old. I will also run this race holding a pink rose in honor of my wife; and I will also be running this race bringing with me your prayer requests. You can post your special intentions on this website, send it via email prayingrunner@gmail.com, or post in on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/prayingrunner. You can also show your support by running with me or liking my FB page to hopefully reach other people who need prayers. I hope to run into each one of you one day; till then Godspeed!

P.S. Remember my friend Enrique who ran the CIM? I’m happy that, in spite of running on empty, he dug deep and sprinted those last two turns to see what lies beyond the bend – a glorious finish!

NOT Your Health

Nobody can take your health away from you,
but don't take it for granted either.

Unlike property, nobody can take your health away from you. You don’t owe anybody your body. But you can’t sell or get rid of it either. You own it, imperfections and all.

That being said, you really need to take care of your body’s health. It’s a very important aspect of your life, to say the least. A lot of your daily activities actually revolve around your body’s health. 

Unfortunately, our health is often taken for granted. I was talking to a friend one day who said that he is very busy all day long. He works 8 to 5, then takes the kids to soccer practice, and gets dinner ready when they arrive home. Before he knows it, he’s so wiped out. Sure he knows the importance of health, but who’s got the time to exercise?

Well, remember this – somebody right now who is busier than my friend shall find the time to exercise during the day.

The people who find time to exercise have ranked exercise high on their priority list along with going to work, taking care of the kids, and doing chores at home. The idea is that whatever activity keeps you really occupied, exercise needs to be seen in the same light.

In the New Year 2013, they say that a return in the normal housing market is unlikely. However, it could be better when it comes to your personal home front. This new year, make it happen – put one bright spot in your life this year which you could act actually take charge of…

Here’s what PrayingRunner wants you to do for 2013 –

Put your health higher in the totem pole of your time.  At least, don’t give it as an excuse that you don’t have time to exercise because you’re busy. Your body is yours for your lifetime. Though nobody can foreclose it on you, you do have obligations to take care of it.

Here’s what PrayingRunner can do for you in 2013 –

I shall continue to pray for your special intentions, inspire you, encourage you, give you tips, run for you, and if ever possible, train or run with you.

Have a Blessed New Year 2013 and God speed!

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!

Running, Grieving, and Meaning

It’s been a year and a half since my wife passed away after a long battle with breast cancer, but I’m only recently beginning to realize the fullness of what I’ve lost. Whoever said that the stages of grief come in an orderly progression was wrong. Grieving is not a neat and systematic process at all. It’s totally haphazard. It was much like my training for the Half Moon Bay International Marathon.

Some days were good. Some days were not.  To run was a struggle, but I tried hard to put a run in as often as I could. My skimpy training reflected my own attempt to create a picture of me doing something to move on with my life with my loss.

With a rose in hand, approaching the
finish line at the Half Moon Bay
International Marathon on
Sept. 23, 2012 in California.

I came to the race very guarded; but all that changed right before the start of the race. I was greeted by two runners, Michelle and Stacie with her family, who thanked me for what I do. Then, a few good friends, husband and wife Alvin and Michelle, Myrel, and Ja, who showed up as a surprise, to show their support. During the race, I ran into Chris, who is running to raise awareness for the Prader-Willi Syndrome and in honor of their daughter Grace, and who has been following my journey since he and his wife met me last year at the inaugural race. And also, Alva, who broke to me the sad news of Pete Mingwah’s death only a week ago. Pete, the ultimate and inspirational couch to ultramarathon runner, is like a brother to Alva. Then as the race went on, a few more runners who remembered me from last year and who recognized me as the runner with the rose gave me a shout out on the course. I met a few more runners – Patrick, Rachel, mother and son team Joanna and Paul, and Cynthia, who is race director of a trail and adventure race company, Desert Sky Adventures.  I also like to mention the volunteers and organizers who joyously and eagerly cheered me on throughout the race. The entire race turned out to be a blessing of an experience for me. Instead of feeling my loss, I realized what I had gained.

My run was for my wife. It was also for all the people I prayed for and those who asked for it on their behalf. As much as I remembered my loss during the run, I also recognized the caring, giving, and the affirmation I received from the other runners, volunteers, and organizers I met in the race.

Grieving, like running is not easy.  Grieving is not fun, unlike running.  But grieving and running, in the right direction, can be both nurturing.  There is joy and enlightenment that eventually grow out of them. It doesn't matter if the training was a mess, or if the grieving was disorderly. What matters is that you are at the starting line (again) to face an opportunity to grow, to change, and to be a better person than you were before.

Some excerpts taken from Widower: When Men Are Left Alone by Scott Campbell and Phyllis R. Silverman

Running To Pray

A reason to run this New Year:  Praying.

There are many ways to define prayer, but my favorite one is from Thomas Merton, a contemporary Trappist monk. He said, “Prayer is the desire to pray.”

You could be walking, driving, cooking, or doing the laundry, and still have a desire to pray as you would when you are kneeling quietly in church in prayer. In the same manner, you could also run and pray at the same time.

Start by having a desire to pray. Yearn for God’s presence  - from the moment you tie your shoes.  Seek to be in communion with Him - as you meet the road or trail (or the treadmill). When you get distracted, this most likely will happen as you run, simply remember your intention every time.

Start with this way of praying when you run. It is called the “prayer of the heart.”

There are other ways to make your runs more prayerful and I will write about them in my succeeding posts. Let me know how this works for you as you start your running resolution.  Carry on and God speed!

Related Article:  3 Ways To A More Resolute Running

A Runner's Prayer

A Mountaintop Experience

George Mallory, a British climber, was asked in 1924 why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest. His reply was, "Because it's there."

I haven't climbed a mountain before, but I know what it feels to reach a summit. For George Mallory, Mt. Everest presents itself as a lofty destination. For runners, it's the finish line. And crossing that finish line is the closest feeling to a mountaintop experience.

With great joy

I just had that peak experience in the 2011 San Francisco Marathon. Holding a pink carnation the whole distance, I reached the finish line with great joy. I ran the race in prayer and in memory of my wife, finishing it in 5:17 to symbolize her birthday.

All of us, whatever we do, can experience a mountaintop experience, as long as we lift it up to God. You can do your walking, gardening, cooking, whatever, and offer it to God. To me, running is a time to experience God's loving presence.

Start off by having the desire to encounter God in your run. And that desire to meet God is nothing but the desire to pray. Here is a prayer you can say before you run:

God, our Father, Creator of all life and energy, I come to you with a contrite heart. But look not into my faults, but into my faith. Protect me from evil and harm along the way. Give me the strength to overcome my weakness. Grant me the courage to persevere as I run. Thank you for the health I have and for my ability to run. Remember, O God, the people in my life who need Your countenance. (Mention the people you want to pray for.) This run, I offer to them, for their sake. Stay with me, O God, the whole time I run, until it is time for me to rest. May my desire to run today to meet You be pleasing to You. This I ask, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.