this is something I wrote a few years ago, when I was still able to walk on my own...
and I think it is still true...

The marathon run

I joined my husband when he went to run in the marathon. Like everything that he did, he did it well. He managed to run within the time frame that he planned and he looked quite refreshed considering the fact that he ran 42 km.
I felt very comfortable walking with the marathon runners. They looked and felt just like me. It is true that they have just finished running a long distance and I have walked very slowly a few hundred meters, sat on a fence and took some pictures of my husband, but apparently our effort was quite similar.
My husband went to have a massage, but I preferred to go back to the hotel. I "stole" his medal from him, because I felt I deserved it after all my "marathons" in the last year. As I was walking I saw one of the runners fall down just a few meters before the finish line. My instincts as a physician made me stop. I could see he started to vomit and appeared some what short of breath, his wife stood helpless next to him. Someone suggested calling an ambulance, but he refused and then started talking again and again about his terrible failure. I leaned down and held his hand. "I am a physician" I said and don't be embarrassed if you need any help, I told him that I do not understand what kind of failure he is talking about. He has just finished running 40 km, and I am sure that if I tried I would fall after the first few meters.
After a few minutes he felt well enough to get up. He looked at me and said "thank you" he then leaned on his wife and walked with her to the finish line.
I thought that my biggest accomplishment in the last year, was to give up accomplishments. Just do what I can, in the best way that I can, and not hesitate to lean on someone if I need to in order to do that.
Maybe I was able to transfer this feeling to the marathon runner and help him and maybe I just thought that I did.

alice