Boston

Wow. Just, wow.

How does that happen? In the sense of, why? Of course at this point there are, and maybe there never will be, no answers to that question. But hearing about the explosions/bombings hits so close to home; I mean that could have been us. In the sense that so many times have Antonio and I stood at that finish line, with hundreds of others, cheering on strangers while watching for Albert to come in to view. So many people cheer the runners on. It is part of the fun of going, seeing other people conquer such a big feat. For some, it is practically old habit, for some though, it is their first race and they are so exhausted yet so proud. The energy at the finish line is so contagiously euphoric and emotional. It really is.

Last November, Albert ran his first full marathon. Antonio and I got there way to early. We got to see the half marathons finish and the start of the full runners cross. We were not the only ones that were there early; there were plenty of people that were there as long as we were. Like a few reports I have read said, around the 4-4.5 hour mark is when the majority of the full runners start to cross and when the spectator volume starts to increase. Its generally when the not-so-serious runners cross. The ones that have more family and friends there to cheer them on. It becomes a fun and happy family event.

That is when this "bomber" set of these explosions. They knew that was when the bigger crowds, runners and spectators, would be there; they knew. That is what is so scary. It wasn't some freak "bomber" that randomly set them off; this person(s) knew the best time. Spectators are so focused on the runners and finding "their" person before they cross that they are almost unaware of all the people around them. You are most certainly not expecting a bomb to go off.

They say the running community is a tight knit community and I believe it. I am not a marathon runner but I run. I know how hard it can be to keep running even when you want to stop yet you keep going. However, I can't begin to know how hard running a half, let alone full marathon is.  In case you aren't familiar with the Boston Marathon, you have to run a certain amount of "qualifying" races in good times order to run the Boston. Just anyone can't just sign up for it. These runners have worked/trained so hard for so long to be able to run it. I see how hard Albert trains for his half's and full's and I know it is even harder to qualify for the Boston race. So these people are good runners. To run 26 miles only to have a bomb go off right at the finish, to be re-routed away from the finish line or worse, lose a limb after all that work would be so incredibly devastating. Forget the fact a bomb(s) really did go off just those other reasons alone; I can't even imagine. It just yanked at my heart strings similar to Sandy Hook yet in such a different way.

Then there are the spectators, family members and friends, even complete strangers that show up just to cheer on and support the runners that have also been seriously hurt. The 8 year old who died. Man; it is all to much to fathom. Again, that could have been us. That could happen at any race. I can't even; I don't even want to wrap my head around that. Albert and I are both a bit traumatized by this tragedy for the same and yet different reasons.  Albert already mentioned he's not sure he wants Antonio and I to be a the finish line of his next race where I am not sure I even want him running another race. However, we can not live in fear because yes, it could happen to us. But we could also be killed in a car collision but we still drive.

A side note: For some reason I am bothered by all the "Pray for Boston" stuff. Yes, pray for Boston as a city and for all the people that live there but a lot of the people there are not from Boston, let alone the US. Pray for Boston and everyone involved. Pray for all the children that were there to merely cheer on their Mom or Dad and know have witnessed a horrific event. All that blood, screaming, loud noises and God forbid, random limbs. That would haunt me for awhile imagine an innocent kid. I am so thankful again, that Antonio is to young to have to talk to him about this. If he knew or comprehended any of this, he would be so scared to have Albert run a race.

It still shakes me a bit though and I am sure it will be very much on my mind at Albert's next race. I will maybe be a bit more aware of my surroundings than normal and hold Antonio a bit closer at the finish line but we will be there. I still wouldn't miss it. On my next run (hopefully tomorrow), I will run with all those runners and spectators (hurt physically and/or emotionally) heavily on my mind and be extremely grateful that I have both my feet and legs to be able to run on.

So pray for Boston and everyone involved.