Marathon Monday

It is called Marathon Monday.  And it will continue to be Marathon Monday.  Right?  The future of the sport and other events in similar settings is questionable, but it is also just a result of another attack on America, not runners.  The headline might look something like this.....

"Runners and spectators take the brunt of the latest attack on America"

I don't know, it's been a while since an English teacher critiqued the length and focus of a story title.

I have so many thoughts about what people post or say after such a tragic event.  I am not writing this to mock people's thoughts or emotions, but to simply work through my own, and highlight what I think are some things we REALLY need to think about and remember.  I am not writing this to downplay the tragic events of the Boston Marathon, but to highlight that this is not isolated.  

"Are we safe doing anything anymore?"  No, but we already knew this.....didn't we?  Let's not pretend we are SURPRISED by this happening at a running event.  

"Runners are strong and mentally tough and we will not let this bring us down.....we will keep running."  That is no one's quote in particular, but the combined sentiments of the running community around me (I'll include myself).  It's true, but what are we coming together to do? It needs to be more than run.  Runners happened to be the target in this particular case because the large crowd, but overall, we're not the only target.

However, I will admit that this hit home a little moreso than some other recent tragedies.  But that is just human nature, I suppose.  It's one of the settings I love the most....a running race.  Running IS one of the places I escape.  It IS what I love to do.  So while my heart has broken for the victims and those affected by other terrorist attacks, this one actually made me put myself in those runner's shoes.  I thought about races I've done.  The finish line moments.  And then made myself try to understand what it would feel like if 2 bombs went off right there.  Two? Are there more? But I can barely imagine what that must have felt like.  And I will think about it in the future.  After my last marathon, I felt terribly sick immediately following and then almost passed out a short while after.....while laying down.  I don't think my body would be very resilient as a runnner near that finish line.  But those spectators and runners actually wounded or killed- they didn't have a chance.

I am seeing so many debates on FB in the form of comments to other articles...people calling others selfish because they think it is just about their sport.  I don't think all runners think it just about them, but it hit home for them and all runners have that in common.

Each time one of these tragedies occur in a new setting, I think people are affected differently.  Each time they occur, I feel numb and then I cry and each one is a little more difficult to process, regardless of where it happened.

So for me, there are 2 separate pieces to this and any terrorist attack (the news may not officially state that yet, but I am).  The target of these attacks is where there are the most people.  Where it is the most shocking.  Terrorists don't hate runners specifically.  They are going for big.  Tragic. But, how we react to this particular attack and the way we let it affect the future of something we love (running) is a separate issue.  And how we come together to prevent other tragedies is yet another issue.

We can come together as a running community...to keep on running and support each other.  But how do we act and come together to prevent future tragedies?  In any setting.  We all know it won't be a race next time.  That is what is on my mind.

Love to Boston.