My good friend and neighbor Joy ran the Chicago Marathon today. What an incredible accomplishment!!! It was her first marathon, and to help out, my family took her parents and her children down to watch for her at Mile 20. The day went off without a hitch for us. Traffic was nill, parking was easy, and we were able to find a spot that wasn't crowded at all to cheer for the runners.
I honestly didn't think that I would enjoy spectating a marathon as much as I did. When we first arrived, about 2 1/2 hours after the race started, the runners were few and far between. It was fascinating to watch the athletes go by... so focused and determined. Every few minutes or so, you would find a runner in a tu-tu, or dressed up as a bunch of grapes, or where's Waldo. We even saw a man JUGGLING while running a decent clip.
Of course, we were there to cheer on our friend. But, it seemed selfish not to encourage the other runners as we waited. I didn't know this before today, but some runners wear their name on the front of their shirt. It's a more personal way to cheer for them other then "go runner..." When I realized this, we started to say "go Kim", "go Brandon", "go Tracy". And each time, the person would look you in the eye and give you a little wave to thank you for the encouragement. It was awesome. I know they made their goal today, and I'm glad I could be a two second part of that experience.
It for sure made me think about goals that we all set. The encouragement from others, either family, friends or strangers seem to be a very important key. Have you encouraged someone today to reach their goal?
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