April 17, 2013
I was just out running alone in the woods and thinking about Monday’s marathon and just felt the need to write out my thoughts so I’ll share them with you here.

I had been quite nostalgic about the marathon this year for many reasons and just the day before the event was reminiscing (actually in writing) about what inspired me to run the marathon many moons ago. I had just moved to Boston and went by myself to the finish line, exactly where the second bomb went off, to watch the elite runners go by. They are fast and unbelievable and unreal. I ended up staying for hours though because where the real inspiration is and the real spectacle and where the crowd goes crazy is for the average runner. The runner out there literally “running for life”!

Be it a journey to ease a bruised spirit, a fundraising run for a friend/family member struggling to battle a deadly disease, to the wheelchair runner who has already lost a struggle, to the soldiers who protect us, to the runner who has trained and run many marathons trying to qualify for Boston the most premiere marathon of all, or just the average college kid who is young and wants to run in costume and drink beers along the way because he can.

The elite runners are done in no time and it is easy for them; but for the average person out there it is a lifetime goal and a huge time commitment and a huge physical struggle and the crowds cheer those people on and get them across that finish line. It is an amazing and difficult struggle to complete a marathon but the feeling that average runner has crossing the finish line is beyond words; one of the best days of my life. Even as a spectator the feeling is incredible watching those people conquer their
goals and the tough course and they literally keep the runners running when all you want to do is stop because your legs have never hurt so much in your life. Those crowds chant “run, keep going…you can do it!”. Those spectators literally get those runners down Boylston St which can feel endless.

This terrorist tried to take that away from people. From the runners who didn’t get to finish, to the spectators who were literally running for their life, to the people who lost their life. BUT this terrorist just gave the average runners MORE REASONS to run.

One…for that beautiful family and two Boston women who just lost so much
Two…for the spectators and runners alive but who are reliving the terror in their mind
Three.. for dreams and goals that you should never give up on
Four… because you still have your legs and you can run
Five….because Monday will not be the marathon we remember

After 117 years….it may be the end of innocence for the Boston Marathon but it is not the finish line. There will be even more runners out there next year to prove that you can’t take the Boston Marathon and all it represents away from us.