On Monday morning, April 15, I enjoyed watching the many tweets of my running friends who were either running in the Boston Marathon or had friends who were. This is the only way I would ever be able to feel like I was a part of it. The Boston Marathon is the "Super Bowl" of races in the US. For those of you who are not aware, like I wasn't a few years ago, not just anybody can run in the Boston Marathon. One must qualify to run in the race. It is so much of a dream for me, it is not even on my bucket list. It is just not a race I am willing to subject my body to the countless hours of training, which includes increasing my speed.
Everything changed with 2 bombs. The Boston Marathon will never be the same. That is what terrorism seeks to do, cause fear. But, we will not stop running. We will not stop entering races. We will not stop living life. In fact, I have this overwhelming desire to run in another marathon. I have only run in one marathon, which is 26.2 miles. I have run 3 half marathons and many 10Ks and 5Ks. But, a marathon is a special race. The marathon itself is not so bad but the months of hard training is rough. All it takes is one strained or pulled muscle to kill the training. There is some luck involved. After I ran the Chicago Marathon, I thought that would be my last. After what happened in Boston, I am reconsidering it. I am drawn to another marathon. Details to come.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Cathy and I are flying to Boston and I am running in the "Run to Remember" Half Marathon there. It means so much more to me now. It really will be a run to remember. Hopefully, by that time, the sick person who sought out to terrorize good people will be caught and on his/her way to their fate. My prayers go out to those who were injured and to the families of those who lost their lives. I can't imagine. I will honor them in a very small way today by wearing a race shirt, as the call has gone out for runners to do so. Today, I remain a runner but I am a Bostonian.
