Sooo much FUN!

Oh my! Why did I wait so long to blog about the fun stuff of Boston?? Now I am in "information overload" status. Boston (pre-bombing) was super duper fun but this weekend I also ran my second fastest marathon at Big Sur! Let me tell you, it was a BLAST! Can barely walk today but the journey was totally worth it.

Going to get some photos organized so I can complete my posts  for both of these experiences. Very different races with the same strong connection to community and runners countrywide. Boston strong, baby! Stay tuned. ;)

Boston Marathon 2013 - Day of Sun and Shadow

It's been hard to make myself sit down and write about the events of April 15, 2013. It was Patriot's Day in New England and it was like a HUGE community party surrounding the traditional running of the Boston Marathon, perhaps one of the best known marathons to runners and non-runners alike. It was also an extra special day for me because instead of sitting in front of my television watching the race and wondering what it must be like to participate in a foot race with such a rich history, being run in a place so rich in our American history, I would be RUNNING it! My first Boston Marathon at the ripe old age of 56, after only seriously running for 2.5 years. It was a dream come true.

Cold gray Boston Spring

I arrived the previous Friday morning and the days leading up to that Monday were on the cool side and mostly gray with an occasional and very brief sun break. The Red Sox game hubby and I were so excited to attend in Fenway Park was rained out. :( There still was plenty of fun to be had and, while not looking forward to a wet and cold run on race Monday, I AM from the Pacific Northwest! I do run fairly well in the cold and wet (although I hate wind) and I was grateful that it wasn't going to be a scorcher of a race as it had been for everyone at last year's Boston Marathon. (I don't do HOT!) Also, the party atmosphere and welcoming faces of all we met as we visited this great town more than made up for the chilly early spring weather.

Poor Arthur Fiedler needed a little help with this cold.

Monday morning the gods smiled on us. It was cool, it was sunny, it was the perfect running day for so many. The crowds were out in mass and it was a good day to be running.

Sun over Boston, me in black/white jacket heading to buses.

Now we all know it was not to last and not everyone had the opportunity to see the finish line of their Boston Marathon. Evil visited the Boston Marathon that day at 2:50pm EDT. In a few seconds the joy was stolen from all of us participants, friends, family, volunteers, Bostonians, Americans and visitors from around the globe.  Even as I type these words, the tears swell in me. Senseless, diabolical violence. 

I was one of the lucky. I finished my race and was able to reunite with my husband. I was told by a friend that it takes about 30 minutes to get through the finishers area. That is almost exactly how much time it took me to start on my way out. I did hear a boom and many around me wondered if it was a cannon set off for Patriots Day. But there was uneasiness because why would they be doing that at this point in the race (past the 4 hour mark)?  I was just rounding the corner out of sight about 1.5 blocks from the finish area when the first bomb went off, so I stepped back to see what might be happening? A cannon? Collapsed bleachers?  I saw a large plume of dark smoke with some debris still falling. Then a second blast and a smaller plume of smoke as it was slightly farther from us. Thankfully, due to the crowds I could not see the carnage at ground level.

Still uncertain what was happening, I followed the crowd as we moved out towards our friends and family meeting area in a dazed zombie-like state of exhaustion. Now my close friends and family KNOW what an alarmist I am. Fine. I'm sure that I've had several deadly diseases in my life and I was pretty certain the dark material showing from my broken crown on my back molar was probably leeching toxic chemicals into my body, BUT I managed to talk myself down from jumping to conclusions at this moment.  That is until we started walking to the subway and the sirens began…and never stopped. Then the reports/rumors started rippling through the crowds. Since we were really only about 1.25 miles from our hotel and since I anticipated the subway would be shutdown, we walked as fast as we could back to the hotel. (I would've run but hubby is not a runner.  ) )

My phone began to buzz incessantly with messages from friends and family. Unfortunately, the cell service was turned off in that area so it took a little while to get out a message but eventually I was able to tell those that could pass it along that Dad and I were okay!  Soon all my friends began checking in with one another. Family and friends were safe.

Hubby and I stayed until late Wednesday afternoon. The people of Boston are AWE-MAZING! They were so kind to reach out to anyone wearing Boston Marathon gear of which I wore hesitantly because I wanted to celebrate my finish but wasn't sure I should in light of that day's other event. People would come up to me and ask if I was able to finish the race then congratulate me and apologize for how things turned out. WHAT?!! That's crazy talk. The people of Boston do NOT have to apologize to anyone. When asked if I would come back to run next year, I replied "OF COURSE!" One lady was so relieved to hear my answer, telling me how the entire community looks forward to this weekend and how much the marathon means to everyone. I wish I could've adequately expressed to her how much Boston means to Americans and runners around the world. 

I will forever feel connected to Boston, through my running and my strong Irish-Catholic roots. I may not live in Boston but I am Boston strong! 

(My next post will be about the awesomeness of the Boston Marathon sans terrorists!)

Bostonians have always been tough.