Una Simple Sonrisa

Well-behaved women seldom make history-

We can grow through inspiration, please say hello to Anne this morning (she is the young lady on the left in the photo below).

I’ve known Anne for quite some time now, always greeting me with a smile first thing in the morning. That’s how our friendship started after all, a simple smile.

Anne was kind enough to sit down for a quick chat to discuss her upcoming Boston Marathon run. Without further ado …

How long have you been a runner and how did you get started?
Anne – I started walking around this lake area with neighbors when the kids were in school and the bus picked them up on the corner. I started running when I was 39 yrs old and I am 69 yrs old now. I needed to get around the lake faster for family obligations, so I tried running. I still love running.

How many years have you been racing Boston? Favorite and least favorite moment?
Anne– I qualified for Boston when I was 49 and ran my first Boston when 50. I have run marathons in Nebraska and many other states. When my son moved to Boston 5 years ago, I decided to go back and this is my 4th Boston in a row. Favorite moment would be when I see my family and/or friends waiting for me at finish line. Least favorite moment is “many moments waiting for marathon to start”.  In Boston you get up at 4am, walk to buses to be transported to Hopkington. There are 30,000 runners doing the same thing so it is a big process that takes a lot of time. Then you wait for race to start. Boring and a little nervous. You can think too much about the distance although I have met and visited with a lot of interesting people.

What are some of your favorite places to run locally and around the world?
Anne– I love running the county roads here in Sarpy County, Nebraska and around the world: I like running in Acapulco, Mexico. In Mexico I run in a large park and go around and around and around where I have met other runners who only speak Spanish, so we do a lot of smiling at each other. And smiling seems to be enough to have in common along with the running.

What is it that you enjoy the most about being active?
Anne– I appreciate being able to participate in lots of sports and have gotten used to younger people asking if they can ask my age.

How do you know when you’ve had the perfect run?
Anne– It is an inner peace feeling. Like “I did it”, my day is not complete without running. I feel at a loss, but it quickly that goes away when I next get out and run.

**You can cheer Anne on this Monday during her inspiring marathon run. Keep an eye peeled for a touch of Husker Red, a Bright Smile and Anne’s Bib #21960. You can also track real-time race results via the Boston Marathon website.**

Therese de Lisieux once wrote: “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”

I believe building enduring personal connections, real, face to face connections is critical for our health and well-being. We are born to connect and we thrive and excel when we connect with other people. Whether you choose to run a 5k this weekend, a marathon on Monday, go for a relaxing walk early tomorrow morning, practice yoga, The Gran Fondo Bike Ride or whatever else you choose … Be inspired this weekend and please take care.