For Boston

The third Monday of April has become something of a personal holiday for myself. The Boston Marathon has a deep meaning to me, and to thousands, if not millions more, representing an ultimate goal, a personal challenge, an achievement for a lifetime. A chance to run with the greatest, hell, to BE among the greatest, running along a hallowed course, your footsteps echoing through history.

I know the attack probably has nothing to do with the Boston Marathon and more to do with a big crowd and a worldwide audience, but this feels personal. There is nothing remotely offensive about the Boston Marathon, in fact, it represents the good and the miraculous in all of us. It shows us that ordinary people can accomplish great things. And for these athletes to have tragedy strike as they're simultaneously in the middle of both the accomplishment and the experience of a lifetime, well, that just sucks.

While we're at it, it's a shame that hardly a single news outlet was saying a derned thing about the Boston Marathon until people started dying.  Not even in the sports section.  Next time around, it'd be nice if we celebrated the triumph of 26,000 as strongly as we mourn the tragedy of 100.  I wish we as humans were drawn to good news as much as bad news, if not more.

So congratulations to those that finished the Boston Marathon yesterday.  Your accomplishment is not lost on me, even in the face of a horrible act by some jerk.

Yesterday I cut my morning run short when I started feeling lightheaded (I trained a lot over the weekend and didn't eat enough).  Then when I heard what happened, somehow the only thing I could think of doing was go for a run.  So I posted something on a listserve at work and managed to get two other Googlers to join in on an after-work run "for Boston".  Then I went out for a Boston lager.

It's early, but I'm thinking I'll run Boston next year.  Like hell someone takes our marathon away.