Boston

While this blog is focused on my love of reading, one of my other passions is running. I just ran a half marathon two weeks ago and am currently focused on training for a marathon in September. One of my long term goals, and I’m sure a long term goal for many weekend warrior age groupers like myself is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Unlike other races, in order to compete in Boston runners must meet a certain qualifying time. There’s really no bigger goal for non-elite runners than to BQ (Boston qualify).

When I checked Twitter and Facebook this morning my running store, Up and Running, had a picture up of some employees and customers ready to take on Boston. My running club, the Ohio River Road Runners had a post up asking who was running Boston today. On the Beginner Triathlete message boards someone had posted a link to live coverage of the race, so I watched the winners of the women’s race finish while on break. It was awesome watching American Kara Goucher finish sixth and seeing American Shalane Flanagan hang right with the top three finishers until the very end to take fourth place. The men’s race ended shortly thereafter with a thrilling dual between three runners going stride for stride the last 800 meters.

A few hours later my phone started going crazy with Twitter updates. As you know by now two bombs were detonated in the spectator areas for the marathon right before the finish line. Everyone was trying to make sure the people they knew who were running the race, and those cheering them on, were safe. I just can’t imagine what the victims’ families and those injured are going through. I’m thankful that it seems like everyone from Up and Running, the ORRRC, and Beginner Triathlete are safe. I’m thankful my cousin who BQ’ed last year decided against running the race. I’m thankful that last year when my wife, my son, and my mother came to cheer me on at the Air Force marathon nothing bad happened. Please keep the victims in your thoughts.