Runners run

It's been a tough week starting with Monday afternoon.  I received a text from Selma while I sat at my desk during work.  It simply stated: News: explosion at Boston Marathon.

If you've seen any of the reports you already know how this story progressed.  I do.  I've been heartbroken.  I still am.  It's already been called all the things I could possibly think to call it.  A tragedy, disgusting, awful, terrorists...I've read articles written by journalists that are runners.  One wrote about reacting to the news as a runner and not a journalist.  All of it unfolded as I read article after article about runners, about tragedy, about violence.
Terrorists want to terrify, to send you back inside your home to hide.  As that journalist put it...they want you to run...away.  I couldn't.  I wouldn't.  After all the initial sadness I had to do something.  I had to do something for Boston, for runners, for everyone.  Most especially I had to do something for myself.  I had to run.  The Boston Marathon is the granddaddy of marathons but any marathon or race of any distance is always an achievement, a celebration, a place where people on both sides of the finish line are filled with pride and adrenaline charged happiness, together.  They can't take that away!
I decided to make my own pledge.  I'm not fit enough to do any long distances right now but I decided I would run whatever miles I could consistently, every day, with no rest day until I completed the full 26.2 total miles of the marathon.  I'm over half way there and after this long, tough week it has helped.
I read another article this morning about the London Marathon taking place tomorrow.  It has not been cancelled.  Runners are not pulling out but anxious to get out there and pound out their miles.  There will be 30 seconds of silence right before the start in solidarity for Boston and the runners are encouraged to wear black ribbons.  According to this article on NBCNews.com by A. Pavlovski, "British running organization SPAT is urging competitors to cross the finish line with their hands over their hearts as a sign of respect and compassion to those affected by the explosions."
Respect and compassion...Boston, runners, everyone.  We all do what we can when things are tough.  And when things are tough, runners run.
TT