My New Goal... The Boston Marathon!!!!

There's one race that's always been on my "bucket list" of things to do.  That race is The Boston Marathon.

I ran my first marathon back in the summer of 2009 at the Rock N' Roll San Diego Marathon.  Later that year I would run my hometown marathon here in Fresno and set my pr of 3:28:27 in November, and then I would run the Sacramento California International Marathon (CIM) just a few weeks after the Fresno marathon in December of 2009.

In February of 2010 I ran the Woodside 50k.  This was my first ultra and also my first introduction to trail running.  After this event "Marathon Running" took a far backseat to trail running and ultra distances.  I started running 50 mile and 100 mile races very shortly after that first 50k in February 2010.

As much as marathons took a backseat, there's always one that has been in the back of my mind.  That race is the Boston Marathon.

 

The Boston Marathon... our nations most prestigious marathon.  Full and rich in history, it's race that every marathon runner wants to run. 

Getting into Boston isn't easy.  First you have to qualify.  For me this requires a finishing time of under 3 hours and 10 mins for my gender and age group. This means I have to run a marathon on a course that is deemed "Boston Certified" and run a 3:10 marathon, or better.  Then I will have qualified to run the Boston Marathon... if I'm even able to still get in. Boston is very popular and sells out fast.  Simply qualifying doesn't guarantee you'll get in.

After yesterday's events I now feel even more compelled to run the Boston Marathon.

When I woke up yesterday I was very excited.  I had 4 friends running the Boston marathon.  I sent some of them text messages asking them to let me know how they did once the race was over.  

I received a text from my friend Rudy.  He had a good race finishing in 2:58:03, and later I received a text from Mark saying he didn't run the race he wanted to, but he was done. 

After hearing from Rudy and Mark about their successful day at Boston I decided to go about my normal day.  My daughter and I went to Costco to get some stuff for the house.  I ran into my friend Travis at Costco and we started talking about local runs coming up, my pr last week at AR50, other running plans for the year, and just general running stuff.

While I was talking to Travis my cellphone started going off like crazy.  I didn't want to be rude while I was talking to Travis so I let my calls go to voice mail.  When I got to my car I checked my phone. 3 missed calls and 8 text messages, all about the tragedy that was going on in Boston.  At this time I had no clue about the devastation that had happened at the finish line of the event.

I couldn't believe it.  I got home and turned on the news.  The images were horrifying.

"How could someone do this?"  That's all I could keep asking myself.

Every Monday I go for a 6 mile run before I head out to train with all my Jiu Jitsu buddies. Normally I'll just head out the door and have a peaceful meditative run, but today wasn't your normal day.

All I could think about was Boston.  The images of the finish line, the innocent runners and spectators who's lives would now be changed forever.

As I ran I decided it was time to do something that I have been putting off... and that very thing is toeing the start line at the Boston Marathon.

There are so many reasons to run this amazing race, but the main reasons now are to support the community of Boston, my fellow runners, and those hurt in yesterdays tragedy.

Running has always been a very inspirational thing to me.  It's about pushing yourself to become a better you.  Almost every runner I know can tell you their personal best time at any given distance, I don't care if it's a 5k or a 100 mile race, we all know our personal best times.  I know that when I finish a race I'm happy if I get a medal,  but I would prefer to have a new PR over a medal any day of the week. When it comes down to it, the only person I'm really racing is myself.

The Boston Marathon is now a run, in my mind, that will be forever changed.  As a runner I will always remember what happened yesterday.

Runners are a very interesting group of people.  We all have different backgrounds, political views, religions, etc... but we're always there for each other, cheering each other on, and pushing each other.  I've made very close friends with people that I've met while running races.  I've ran out of food in the middle of nowhere during trail races and had complete strangers help me out, and I've done the same for other people.  Runners have a way of looking at a bad situation and going head first into it.  Let's face it, when you go into a marathon or an ultra, you expect to eventually "hit the wall" but you also know it's no big deal because it's something that you will overcome and push through.

Running teaches us to push when you normally wouldn't... to not give up... to dig deep... to keep moving forward... and to not give up, no matter what life throws at you.

Until next time...

Keep Running!!!!