A passing smile

I am in training for the St. George Marathon. I've run a couple before so the process isn't completely new to me. The training is not the most enjoyable experience but for some reason it's very important to me. (That could be a whole different discussion which I should save for a different time...) I am in the most intense part of the training which calls for long runs every weekend. Last weekend was 18 miles.

I woke up early and drove myself up Provo Canyon with plans to run from a few miles above Vivian Park down to my apartment. I was running the course of the Provo 1/2 Marathon which I had run the week before but adding on an extra 5 miles to make it home and make the total distance required.

The first 5 miles were pretty solitary except for a few hard core bikers pushing up the canyon. Although I like running with large crowds like in a race, I really don't like when there are a lot of people running towards me. It's so awkward! Do you look at them or not, do you wave or not, will they say hello and if so what do you say in response, do I look really awful (as I do when I'm on mile 12 of 18...), etc.. All this anxiety may seem ridiculous but there isn't much else to do while running but notice the people around you and over analyze your potential interactions.

On this day I was taking the basic smile and slightly nod while looking straight ahead approach. Most people passed without much incident until up ahead I saw an older woman approaching on a bike. She was a little bigger and awkward but riding steadily towards me. I began my decision making process about how I was going to handle this passerby.

Finally we were close enough and I looked up to give my slight smile and nod. Unexpectedly, the bike woman looked back at me with the biggest, warmest, most excited smile I've seen and gave a quick cheerful hello! In a couple seconds we had passed each other but I had tingles all over which lasted a couple hundred yards. I can't explain what was different about this person but in those few, brief seconds she made me feel so good. I was energized and uplifted and able to run with renewed energy through the last few miles of my run. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. It was another witness to me that someone is watching out for me at every moment, providing to me what I need even when I don’t know it.

What was it about that woman? How was she able to make me feel so good without even doing anything? What can I do to have that same impact on other people? Why haven’t I been open to more opportunities for such interaction and what have I missed out on by doing so? Good things for me to think about!