I often run with heavy legs, especially after mile 20 in a marathon, but it is rare that I run with a heavy heart. Today was one of those days. When I wake up each morning, one of the first things I do is check my phone for messages, -- just a habit because of the type of business I'm in. I received a message from my local YMCA this morning asking runners to wear race shirts this week in support of the individuals affected by yesterday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. I keep my race shirts in a separate drawer, no special order, so I pulled out quite a few before I got my hands on what I thought was the best shirt to wear today – my last Chicago Marathon shirt from 2010. As I pulled it over my head I thought about the runners in the running club I belong to, The Kingdom Running Club, who are training with us for their very first marathon. I contemplated the thoughts that might be going through their heads right now and prayed that they would not be immobilized by the tragedy in Boston and that they would persevere and proudly wear their Chicago Marathon race shirt this fall.
The majority of the runners in our club will probably be in the 4-6 hour finisher category, -- the same group of runners who had just crossed the finish line or hadn’t reached the finish line when the bombs exploded in Boston. One of our leaders, Rochelle Trotter, who ran the Boston Marathon twice explained during an interview with Fox News this morning that many of these runners were running for charities. While their fundraising dollars will undoubtedly give them a sense of pride and accomplishment, someone stole their opportunity to fully experience the Boston Marathon which they worked so hard to complete. I’m sure they’ll still get their medals, but it will always represent a great day gone bad.
My heart and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who were injured physically and mentally by this despicable act. As a member of the global running community, I speak for many who are bitter following this event. My prayer as we run forward is that we will all become better because of this. I pray that runners, novice to professional, will strengthen their resolve to not only complete, but totally rock their first or next marathon because of what happened yesterday. I pray that runners won’t lose momentum, give up or give in to fear, but use their races as a platform to show their solidarity for world-wide peace and their respect for the marathon and what it represents.
Until I run again,
Happy Feet
P.S. Thank you to my family, friends and fellow runners who checked in with me and my husband yesterday to make sure we weren't running in Boston yesterday. I haven't qualified for Boston YET, but I WILL and I will run it with honor and pride for all that it represents.
