Boston

As an aspiring runner yesterday's tragedy hit home more than other recent acts of violence that I've seen in the news over the past year. 

The Boston marathon is one of the most iconic races in the "running world". It takes true dedication to train hard enough to run a marathon with a qualifying time that even allows you to get into the Boston marathon. I look up to the athletes who run Boston (almost) as much as Olympians, because most of those people are just everyday people who run because they love it, and for no other reason. The passion and determination it takes to run multiple 8 mile runs during the week and to take an entire weekend day to run 15+ miles is just beyond the scope of my imagination. Even though I like to think of myself as a runner and have two half marathons behind me, I can't fathom being disciplined enough to actually go through with a 5-7 month training plan. 

When I heard that the police officers turned the runners away from the finish line right after the blast went off, my heart immediately went out to those people who were 100 yards from the end but had to turn back; who had put in all the hard work and couldn't gain the satisfaction of stepping across the finish line. I couldn't fathom being so physically drained with emotions already running high and then being so terribly, abruptly, shockingly interrupted. I can easily say running the Boston marathon would be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life (one that I still, in the deep crevices of my mind, hope to achieve one day) and I am appalled at the person (or people) who got in the way of that yesterday. 

I know it's cynical to say but sometimes I become desensitized to these types of tragedies. Every violent death is heartbreaking but sometimes the sensationalized stories get in the way of my ability to realize that every shooting or bombing or stabbing is a terrible loss of life. Yesterday, even though I didn't know a single person in the race or in Boston, I felt it like was my people being attacked, in a way I haven't felt in a long time. 

The horrible incident reminded me that every single person who suffers from an act of violence should be considered one of "my people". I was reminded that there are no others, and regardless of any factor we truly are all one.

My heart goes out to those affected by the tragedy and I hope that it doesn't put a damper on the heart of any aspiring marathoner.