Remember to smile

A friend is running his first marathon tomorrow. I am so excited for him! Even though it seems like more and more people have run marathons, still less than 1% of the U.S. population has done so. It's kind of a big deal (at least to those of us who have).

This friend is inquisitive by nature, and asks me questions about it every time we're together. I love that about him. We met this morning and once again he was seeking input.

Here's the thing... I'm not sure advise is all that helpful for something like this. Some things just have to be experienced, and even in our own experience things can change. So I'm hesitant to offer too much (I know, even me!). 

I'm pretty sure he's going to go out WAY too fast regardless of what I say. I can just feel it (and most of us do it anyway). So I tried to get across the extreme privilege it is to be able to run a marathon, and to try to simply soak in the beauty of the moment(s). It's not something we do alone - even if we are the only one who did all the training miles. It takes support and encouragement from those around us, and a boatload of volunteers to pull these events off. Rarely if ever will we regret being gracious and grateful (again, yes, this is actually ME saying this. I know, right!).

So, my only advice is: Remember to smile. I had read/heard this before my first one, and it has stuck with me... and gotten me through sooooooo many long runs. Just something about smiling that makes a person appreciate where they are.

I suppose that's not bad advice for life in general. I wish I could remember it more often. :)