Boston

Strangely enough, just hours before the horrific events that would take place in Boston, I had written abut my own marathon experience. Eons ago, I had pledged that one day I would run some 26.2 mile grueling event. One year, while still in my 40s, I realized I wasn’t getting any younger. So, I trained and eventually completed Washington, D.C.’s Marine Corps Marathon.

As I watched the news Monday evening, I quickly realized something about the person(s) who had set the two bombs. He, she or they was not primarily concerned with hurting Boston’s runners. Instead, they had every intent of harming as many supporters as possible. What a crying shame.

Anyone who has tackled one of these mind-blowingly long runs knows just how critical a supporter is to one’s success. All these years later, I still remember the man who stood by himself somewhere around mile 23 or 24 and shouted at the top of his lungs. “You’re doing it! Do you think anyone can run a marathon? Heck, no. Everyone else is home watching TV. But you are doing it! Go! Go!! Go!!!”

Last fall, when the heat of electioneering had become most intense, we heard lots of give and take with some people proudly proclaiming, “I built it myself,” while others rejoined, “It takes a village.” You will find few more intensely independent people than I, but today, we all live in a village and the name of that village is Boston.   

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