Our Hearts are with Boston - and Runners - Everywhere

The Boston Marathon Tragedy 

 

Everyone has posted about this by now - and while I don't feel the need to repeat words, I think this is partially for my own soul. I'm still stuck in my own head on thoughts and feelings and while I feel... something... I can't totally pin-point what that is.

I'm bummed for those didn't get to complete their marathon - their Boston.
I'm disgusted by the actions of some person, some group, some someone, who could do this.
I'm mad for those who lost their life, or lost a limb.
I'm saddened for those who were injured, who saw, who experienced the entire thing.
I'm angry at whoever thought they could ruin Marathon Monday.
I'm thankful for first responders and volunteers and people that jumped on the scene.
I'm inspired by the running community and the human spirit.
I'm hopeful for all those who know we can move on, move forward, and keep going.

Decked out in blue and yellow, Boston Marathon colors.

Yesterday afternoon I got home from work and didn't know what to do with myself - so Chandler and I went out for a few miles, just to process. Not a lot of talking about Boston, but it was great to run with someone and know that we (all of us) are not alone in this.

This morning, the Athens Road Runners gathered on the track on campus for a run together - for solidarity, for hope, for memory, for camaraderie. Still, I didn't know what else to do but run. We started with a moment of silence, and proceeded on a two-mile loop as a group. Some fast, some slow, some inbetween. Some in silence, some talked the whole way. On the way to campus, at 5:45 am, the radio show was talking about the 8-year-old, just identified late last night, and how he had just hugged his dad who was about to finish his race, and he was running back to his mom and sisters. His dad was running Boston - the runner's dream - and in turn lost his son. That's when I lost it - just a few tears, but enough to really feel what these people felt yesterday.

Athens Road Runners morning.

The running community is just that - we feel. We get it, we understand. I said it yesterday when I changed my Facebook profile picture to the Boston ribbon: You attack runners, you attack my friends. You attack my friends, you attack my community. You attack my community, you've picked the wrong community to mess with. Who else goes out and runs 26.2 miles for fun? The running community always perseveres, we move forward, as we know that's how to finish a race: keep moving forward. And that's what we'll do. We'll log our miles (Charity Miles or otherwise), we'll tweet, Instagram and tag our posts with #runforboston and you'll see that we'll all come together. That's what we do.  The running community is one that can't be faltered - we know heartbreak, we know determination, we know strength. We know what it means to cross the finish line of your first 5K, of your first marathon, of your first anything. It's a high that can't be matched in any other circumstance. We understand the pain, the sweat, the tears that goes into working towards an event.

Boston? Boston, too, in time will recover. We all will. We just need to keep moving forward.

How are you moving forward? Are you joining me in #runforboston? Share your posts and miles here if you're joining me this week. 

Additionally, if you #runforboston (or walk, or bike, or crawl), share your miles here. As of 4 pm EST on April 16, over 370 runners and 1,300 miles logged!