I truly have tried to wrap my head around why the recent Boston Marathon terrorism event has affected me the way that it has.
I recall being very frightened by the 9/11 attacks; not knowing what else was in store. My children were still young enough to be living at home and I was comforted by having them close. I felt that I was able to shelter them and comfort them. I was able to talk with them and we could discuss the current events and where we as a Nation would go from here. I felt such compassion for the individuals and families whose lives had been forever changed on that day.
For me, the events in Boston hit me in a way I couldn't understand! I was sad, then mad and then frustrated. Why would anyone want to hurt innocent people? My children are grown and not nearby. We are all runners and share this as many of our family bonds. I didn't feel that I could protect my family, all I could rely on was the faith that we would all be alright.
We, the running community are such a peaceful people. We strive to better ourselves and we have an incredible spirit. This was proven so true by the number of runners that had completed a 26 mile and in most cases a 4+ hour run yet continued to run to local hospitals to give blood. Some stayed at the tragic scene and offered assistance to those in need.
The Boston Marathon is the Academy Awards for a runner (in my opinion)! Something that is not a given opportunity... You have to QUALIFY to even REGISTER!!!! Although you qualify, you may not be able to register that same year. It is an HONOR to participate in the Boston Marathon.
My daughter was blessed to have qualified and run in the 2010 and 2011 events; we as a family accompanied her to Boston in 2010 for a fantastic 5 day experience!! We all rode the T for the first time, we took a water taxi from Logan Airport to the hotel and we all attended a Boston Red Sox game!! We sprinted to several locations along the 26.2 mile course to cheer on my daughter and raced back to the finish line to see her complete her goal! The day before the actual running of the marathon everyone but dear daughter was able to run a 5k sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association. We ran on the same street (Boyleston) that the actual marathon runners would run on. I was there... In the same location that these awful individuals desecrated...
However, due to the resilience of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the running community the Boston Marathon and all running events will bounce back stronger than before! As Steven Colbert said this week, we are people that run 26.2 miles for FUN on a SUNDAY!!!
As I ran this morning I was struck by how connected I felt with each runner that I passed! I wanted to hug them, I broke out in chills each time I waved and greeted them with a 'good morning'!!!
I am so proud to part of this community; the running community ~ I feel we are all a little bit more connected now.
Thank you for allowing me to ramble and for hanging on to the end!
Much love to you all for being there for ME!!!
