Much Ado About Boston

The Boston Marathon. 
Give me any American and they've no doubt heard of the Boston Marathon. "Marathon Monday" as it's been called, or simply "Boston"  The running world knows what it is. 
Until today. A Marathon Monday like no other. One to never be forgotten, one to be reviewed and remembered in many many different ways.   Two explosions have rocked the finish line.  It's still early, having only happened less than a couple of hours ago, but it's not just the finish line that's reeling.  So many are touched by this, myself included. 
The first race I ever did was a 5K last March.  It meant the world to me, that I had finally been able to do a 5K.  The day was special, the day meant something,  amazing emotion and incredible pride. 
Which is likely similar to what others feel on race day.  Whether it's a first 5K or ones 12th marathon.  It's simply a thrill to be there. 

When I heard about the Boston Marathon finish line explosions, I immediately prayed that it was equipment failure, a busted speaker, a electronic device gone wrong.  No such luck.  Reports are still coming in, nothing has been determined yet, but it's obvious: this more than likely is not just faulty equipment.  It's more than likely someone did this. 

Running "Boston"  takes amazing dedication, even to get there.  The qualifying times for Boston are something of a mystery to people like me, how anyone can ever go that fast is simply mind boggling.  But they do.  People qualify for Boston.  They work incredibly hard to get there, they live, breathe and bleed "Boston" in order to run this most famous race.  And who can blame them?  Seeing that starting line in Boston has got to be such a moment of pride, such an incredible emotional moment.  What makes this such an incredible moment, dear readers, is that you and I both know there are individuals running Boston today that never thought they'd see the starting line of a race so huge.  They see that start line and think " I did it".  For so many, simply being in the race is an incredible feat. 
For many others, today was a day of comebacks, getting a PR (personal record), first timers, retirees who are running their last, regardless, the first race in our country,  the list is long of what this race might have meant to people.  For somewhere of the 20,000 or so participants, there could have been an equal number of reasons, meanings and dedications of this race.

Which is why it fills me with incredible grief that explosions take the center ring.  Not knowing the final details, or the logistics of it all, the underlying thing that keeps my heart heavy is the fact that for some, this won't be the race they remember for their own reasons, it will be the race with the explosions.  Someone who was on their way to a PR won't be able to finish.  Someone coming back from an injury won't be able to fully comeback, because of the chaos.  Runners on the course, turned a corner and saw unspeakable horror.  At a time when they should be bursting with pride and overwhelming joy.

 Anyone who has run or anyone who has not run, knows how very difficult it is simply to run.  To excel even more so.  All these people wanted to do was run, to push themselves, to do their best, to beat themselves, to achieve....and someone or something  has robbed them of that.  It's with incredible sadness and heavy hearts that we watch these shattered dreams and crushed memories, never to be forgotten.