We Are A Community of Runners

I had planned for my first blog post to be about my running background, my challenges balancing training and mamahood and an overview of the gear, races and running routes in Northern Virginia.

That was my plan before the bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

For many of us, running starts off as way to get healthy, lose a couple pounds or just a way to get "me time" away from the kids. What  we all inevitably learn about the sport of running is that, no matter where you are or what your pace, running includes an amazing community.

It's this community that encourages us to get up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to get a long run in before the weather heats up. It's this community that shows us how to bounce up hills on tip-toes or raise our arms in the air and wiggle our fingers to relieve that tingling feeling. It's this community that gives us advice on the best time to tear into a packet of Gu during a race or the best way to fuel up pre-race.

When we race, that community includes organizers, volunteers and the spectators who cheer us on with cow bells, screams and signs that say we're just training for the Zombie Apocalypse. When we race, the excitement, the adrenaline and the camaraderie of hundreds or thousands of our fellow runners is palpable. And when we race, we assume we are safe.

Despite what happened today in Boston, we will continue to run, we will continue to race and we will continue to support our community.

Today, please join me in praying for the runners, the spectators, the volunteers, the organizers and the first responders in Boston.

Tomorrow, and every run and race thereafter, please remember those killed, hurt or traumatized by this horrific event and dedicate your finish to them.