happy thoughts

i ran the kasugai city 10km race this past weekend. up till last week, i still had some pain from my injury, but i decided to try and see how it went.

that morning went. i wasnt nervous. i had no pressure. just finish. take it easy if i had pain. i ended up meeting a new friend, mitsuko, who was running the 10km as well, in the 40 and over category. we chatted like we were old friends. we encouraged each other. then it was time.

i ran. i ran my pace. i was back. after 5km, i was feeling pretty good. still hesitant that the pain could come anytime. but it never came. i ran next to a man who was the same pace. without a word, we understood each other. we needed each other to help finish the race strong. sometimes, i pushed us along, sometimes he did. we made it! after the race, he came over to me saying, "arigatou gozaimasu." we shook hands. and parted. its those times, when i am touched. the little acts of kindness. the encouragement we can get from strangers. i ran that race in 49:11. it was my best time (by 30 seconds) and maybe it doesnt seem fast, but this race was such a nice moment for me. after all the pain, disappointment and tough times of not being able to run or exercise in the past 7 months. i finished. i finished strong. i finished with no pain. its a huge blessing. there's no reason for the pain to have left so suddenly. (as of saturday, the day before the race, i had some pain) but to the people who are praying for my recovery....keep praying. please.

on another note. i got a subscription to a magazine that i really wanted. the economist. it was a surprise. i opened up the mailbox yesterday and found that i got a 3 month subscription to it. thank you hiro.