As I write this, our future daughter in law,E, just crossed the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Our whole family is beaming with pride, so happy for her accomplishment! She’s a seasoned runner-all through high school and college-she had a full ride to a Division 1 school- she reminds me of that Eric Lindell quote about how when he runs he “feels the Lord’s pleasure.”

That’s our girl, too.

Until last year, with the terror attack I had never given the Boston Marathon a passing thought. This year, I watched from the time E started in the second wave of runners, until the coverage ended. We were able to get text alerts as to E’s progress, her total time and her mileage time. Up and down the east coast and across the ocean in Slovakia, family and friends were able to get updates as to her progress.

Pretty cool stuff.

Rita Jeptoo easily won the race, beating the current record by over 2 minutes. I watched the last part of her race, there was no one even close to her.

Not. One. Person.

She had such a great lead, that she could have safely saved some energy and slowed her pace and still won. But she didn’t. She kept on with the pace that she had set and did not waver from that pace for the entire length of the race.

As I watched her true steady paces I was reminded about the race I’m running. By the way, you’re in that race too. It’s the race called the “Your Life Marathon” and that’s exactly what it is- a marathon.

And it’s a lot longer than 26.2 miles.

We didn’t have to do anything extraordinary to qualify for this race and we ALL have the opportunity to finish well. That’s the goal line in this race-finishing well. Most of us are blessed to have people of the sidelines during our life, cheering us on, offering us a cool drink to refresh us so we can keep going when we feel like stopping to catch our breath. One way or another this is one race we all will finish someday. And just like Rita Jeptoo got to set her pace, we get to choose ours.

I’m at about the halfway point in my race-maybe a little further. Today’s race was a reminder for me and those at the same place in life to stay in the race, keep running hard, don’t let up. That means keep learning. Keep growing. Keep Alert.

Keep up with what’s current in all arenas of life: politics, technology, food trends and culture. Be curious. Learn how to do more on our iPhones than talk and text. Learn why everyone is crazy about coconut oil and Breaking Bad. Those things sound ridiculous, but they are relevant to the world around us. If we allow the perspective we’ve gained and lessons learned from living life to intersect with the changes around us, we may get the opportunity to influence and be relevant in the places that matter to us, in this fast changing world of ours.

And isn’t that what we all want at the halfway point (and beyond) of our lives?

E ran today with a sore leg from a past injury and weeks ago she had concerns going into it that she might not finish the race. But today, once she started running, her attitude to finish well overcame her soreness. She was able to keep perspective-she knew she might not have her best running time per mile, but she was going to run the best she could. She finished well under the pace time she had set initially, with a time that allows her to run Boston again next year if she chooses.

 Some of my friends are running their race injured. Beat up by sickness or circumstances, they have slowed the pace-for a while. But they all are still in the race. The perspective they are gaining by running this hard part of their race adds to their ability to influence those around them. Watching the courage they have as they run injured inspires me to keep going hard.

It’s not who finishes first in the race of life, its finishing well. We all have a shot at that.

Who’s with me?

Blessings,

Stephanie