Life Lesson from the Marathon

I wrote this article after Doug ran a half marathon last January. I decided to include this as a prelude to my next post. I particularly enjoyed writing this piece and hope you enjoy it as well.

“I am going to run in the Cebu city marathon.” My heart sank when my husband Doug declared that to me in November. A friend had just told me about how someone she knew died of a heart attack in the Subic Iron Man recently. He was no newbie to the sport and he was only 52 (Doug is 50).

“Do you think you can make it?” I asked Doug.

“Well, I’ve been swimming a mile daily for almost 2 years. I’ve been doing 12 rounds at the Abellana Oval, walking and jogging for about a year and a half. So I think I can do it.” Unconvinced, I thought: Oh Lord, I don’t want to become a widow!

But nothing could deter Doug. Soon after he bought a book on marathon training and religiously jotted down his daily workouts. He read articles, looked through the athletic shops, compared notes with another friend who runs and little by little bought things that he would need: reliable shoes, a heart monitor, proper shorts and shirts, etc. I thought, it’s still a long way off; he may still change his mind.

But he didn’t. I was glad though that he decided to do the half marathon since it was his first time. About a month before the marathon, Doug announced it to the congregation in our church that he was joining and that he would like to do it to raise funds for missions. From some of the facial expressions, I could tell that they did not believe Doug could do it either! Two other guys, half Doug’s age, were also joining. I thought: that’s neat; maybe they can pick him up if he collapses!

A week before the marathon, our youngest daughter Amanda (10 years old) and I were praying before bedtime. I asked the Lord to keep Doug safe, to make sure he does not injure himself, that he won’t collapse from dehydration and that he won’t have a heart attack.

“Mommy, I was so excited about Daddy joining the marathon but after hearing your prayer, I’m now scared!” Amanda exclaimed.

“Well, we have to cover all the bases just to make sure he’ll be ok,” I reasoned out.

On Dec. 30, Doug started feeling sick. It progressively got worse over the weekend. He had some stomach bug and was miserable with some diarrhea. Maybe the Lord is answering my prayer, I thought.

Unfortunately for me, on Jan. 4, he woke up feeling better and when I asked him if he was still going to run, he answered, “Of course!” I couldn’t believe it! I started praying harder!

I attended the carbo-loading party at Ayala Terraces on Jan. 8. I got to meet some of the runners who thought that I was going to run too (“No, I don’t even walk short distance!” I told them.). It was fun listening to some of the speakers and to watch the video, “Spirit of the Marathon.” I went home remembering what one guy from the video said: each marathon is unique because you never know what your body will do to you.

The night before the marathon, I was too excited for Doug, I couldn’t sleep. He went to bed early and got up at 11:30 thinking it was time. I softly stroked his arm. Will this be the last time I will have him beside me alive? I tried to shoo the morbid thoughts from my mind. I prayed and sensed the Lord said that he would be ok. That calmed me.

He got up at 1:30 am and I finally fell asleep. The next thing I knew, the alarm went off at 4:30 am. I hurriedly woke my two girls up. We walked from the house to the corner of Escario and Osmena, across the Capitol building. It was almost 6 am when we saw the 2 young guys from our church running in tandem. Doug was not with them.

“Did you leave Doug behind?” I demanded to know.

“He has a pain in his hamstring,” they both replied.

Oh no, I thought, not good news. I wonder if he will still run the whole way. We waited to see if he was still in the pack. After about another 20 minutes or so, I spotted him doing a light jog. The girls called him and I asked, “Are you going to make it?”

“I hope so. I got this pain after the first kilometer.”

I doubted that he could make it but then after being married 21 years to him, I know that Doug is not a quitter. I was just concerned that he will injure himself seriously. I prayed that the Lord will miraculously take the pain away.

Some runners started to run back towards the finish line in IT Park close to 7 am. We looked at some of their faces and it looked like only sheer determination was causing them to continue running. I started to cry. What about Doug, I wondered.

Two ambulances passed in front of us and I strained my neck, trying to see who was in it.

“Mom, why are you peeping at the ambulances?” Amanda wanted to know.

“Well, you never know,” I told her simply.

One young guy from the church ran back, blowing kisses to us while we cheered him on. About 30 minutes later, the second guy passed us, walking. He said his last sighting of Doug was on the SRP when he was on the return.

I was surprised that he made it that far! It was almost 8:00 am when we spotted him. “How are you? Are you going to make it?” I asked my famous question.

Doug slowed down and approached us so that we could all give him a hug. We got drenched from his sweat.

“I’ve had this pain all along. If I stopped, the pain was worse. I just ran with the pain and prayed all the way,” he told us as he continued his run.

“You can do it,” I encouraged him.

Three hours and forty-six seconds after the start of the marathon, my husband crossed the finish line. I was so proud of Doug, so proud that he finished the race despite the pain in his leg. You see, I am living with cancer and have had to deal with a lot of pain this last year. Many times I felt like the grave would just swallow me up. It seemed easier to give up than to keep on going, fighting to stay alive, believing that I will feel better tomorrow.

It’s true: you never know what your body will do to you but the marathon of life goes on. You have a choice: give up or press on. When Doug ran, I felt like he had identified with my pain and courageously continued with his trek and made it to the finish line. I still don’t know what else my body will do to me but I know that with God's grace and the encouragement of my husband’s experience with the marathon, I will make it. Some day, I too will know the exhilaration of crossing the finish line.