Yesterday was the first time I had ever been interested to watch the Boston Marathon. As a woman who only found her runner's passion at age 42 - I felt the excitement to watch it in a way I never would have expected. I was at work and made a point to keep it streaming on my PC so that I could periodically sneak peaks at the winners crossing the finish line. I found my self sucking back tears at their accomplishment and in awe of the will of a runner. I stopped streaming after that point.
Several hours later...I was struck with news of two bombings and thought, oh Lord, please not again.
On September 11, 2001 I worked in the World Trade Center. I was in one of the low surrounding buildings 7 WTC and was running late for work that day. I don't need to go into what followed, because the whole world saw. I will share that in the days that followed I remember the sorrow of our city but I also remember the support, spirit and love that we showed for each other.
Yesterday's events reflected that same spirit and love and support for each other. I was forever bound to NYC as a result of those days and months and years that followed the WTC attacks...and now I find myself here again. Bound to a different group, runners. A group I never thought I would ever feel a connection with, but to my surprise and as the last 6 months have demonstrated - I am a runner and therefore my heart went with them yesterday.
The devastation and tragedy of 9/11 in NYC still did not prepare me for what happened yesterday in Boston. But, it did re-affirm my belief and faith in humanity. Do not look to the evil doers, do not vilify and lift their actions up...instead hold high the spirit of a city, the love of a community...today I will run 1 mile in honor of my NYC spirit and my runner's heart.
I will always love New York.
And I will always love being a runner.
I love this!! I have been a runner a bit longer, 3 years in October, and have kicked around the idea of a marathon since crossing the finishline to my first 1/2, but never really committed. Yesterday, I also watched the start and finish of the race, and said, Im going. My Boston ideals laster a whopping 7 hours, but Im not giving them up. If anything else, its built more of a fire to do it because we cannot let the bad guys win. We cannot. The only way to fight terror is to push past the fear and keep going. Come run Boston with me!!!
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