Assignment America

As we wake up this morning to news of the manhunt for the remaining Boston Marathon suspect, our thoughts are on the safety of the responding officers and the residents in the surrounding areas.  Hoping that there are no further injuries or deaths as a result of these two madmen.  There has been enough suffering.

Here is the originally scheduled post for today:


CNNiReport - Assignment: Run For Boston 2014

credit: Lila King

Pledge to run in solidarity with Boston

CNN challenges you to run or walk in a marathon or another race by April 2014 in honor of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Take a photo of your running shoes and upload it to sign up!

Run for Boston 2014

Three people were killed and more than 100 were injured on April 15 when two explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Hours later, runners were tweeting and posting on Instagram that they weren't going to let this tragedy stop them from pursuing their hobby and passion.

They went out to #runforboston.

CNN is asking you to pledge to run or walk a race — whether it's 1 mile or a marathon — by April 2014, the one-year anniversary. The network plans to make a video about our group journey to that finish line. It's a story of endurance and hope in the face of disaster. It's one we'll create together.

How do you join in? Click the “Add your story” button, upload a photo of your running shoes, and tell us why you’re running for Boston.

You can also upload your photo to Instagram or Twitter. Tag it #runforboston and #cnnireport so we know you're in. Then get out there and get moving! We'll post more instructions soon.

You can log your training miles on this Run for Boston site, which was created by iReporter Becca Obergefell, from Columbus, Ohio. She inspired this assignment and suggests you use the Charity Miles app earn money for a charity of you're choice while you train for the big race.

From Me:  I already have a full race schedule for 2013 and early 2014.  This is going to send me in search of a race in March or April that I can run solely for Boston.

Thoughtful Thursday

credit: http://pinkinmylife72.tumblr.com/

YOU AND SOMEBODY, SOMEWHERE
This wasn't initially going to be this week's #ThoughtfulThursday.  But, considering the feelings of family and solidarity among runners this week, it just fits.  You're never alone as a runner.

Have you seen this amazing video from Wednesday night's Bruins game (first sporting event in Boston since the marathon)?  If you haven't (and even if you have, it's worth watching again) take two minutes to watch.  You won't be sorry.

#RunForBoston

26.2 For Boston

Late Monday night the following message appeared in my inbox.  At that point I had already run what I have started to term my "healing run" and written my blog post about it.  I'd seen many friends post about their runs and plans to run 4.09 miles the following day.  And then I read this from our Galloway Program Director (it's a little long, but I think it's worth the read):

Dear Jenny, My first goal when I became a runner was to finish a marathon. Receiving that finisher's medal was an indescribable honor, and sharing the experience with my family was the highest high I could imagine. Like almost every marathoner, I soon set my sights on getting faster, with a goal of someday qualifying for Boston. Galloway Training is well known for helping non-runners become runners and helping runners become marathoners and half-marathoners, and I am proud of us for being the world leaders in bringing people safely into the sport.. What non-Galloway folks may not realize is that Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk/Run method is also AMAZING at helping people get fast. My wife actually qualified for Boston with a massive Personal Record the very first time she tried walk breaks. Eventually I qualified too, and we have enjoyed two Patriots' Days together running the historic course with 20,000+ of our friends. We joke about running with thousands of friends, but it really is true. In a large part, the running community is made up of thousands upon thousands of friends who don't know each other yet, but as soon as we recognize a race shirt or backpack in the airport or grocery store, we strike up a conversation and we know how kindred our spirits really are. This is why today hurts so much. Whether we have qualified or not, whether we have run Boston or not, whether we have even run a marathon or not, we are all runners, and a part of us soars whenever we see our brothers and sisters fly down Boylston Street. Always that flight should be in joy, but today it was so much different. All of us in the running community mourn this attack on our peaceful sport, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who suffer. Please join me in dedicating the next 26.2 miles you run, whether they be all at once or one 4-mile training run at a time, to the people of Boston. Run in peace, Chris So there you go.  The idea has been planted.  The next 26.2 miles (which for me will happen one training run at a time) are dedicated to Boston and the marathon.  I hope you'll join me in doing the same.  There's even a Facebook event for it: Run 26.2 for Boston. I've got 2.1 miles down, 24.1 left to go. ETA: Someone has put together a Google Doc where you can log and share your #RunForBoston miles.  Check it out here.

What to Say - Or What to Do?

I knew my Monday morning wasn't going to be very productive - after all, it was BOSTON morning!  I had friends to track, live feed to watch/listen to, and oh yeah...work to do.  I actually managed to get a decent amount of work done, though.  I kept the tracking window open off to the far right of my computer screen, and listened to the commentary from the elite field coverage via one earbud in my left ear, all while working on an AutoCAD project.  I was pretty pleased with myself.

After lunch I only had one person left on my tracking list that hadn't crossed the finish line, and the live commentary from BAA was over, so I'd stopped checking the site as frequently.  And then I saw the post from a friend:

OMG did you guys see the reports of explosions at the Boston finish line!

Wait, WHAT?  Immediate switch to Google to look for stories about it.  News websites were hurriedly trying get information out to the public, Facebook updates with the initial stories were crowding my newsfeed, and Twitter/Tweetdeck was exploding - especially the column I'd put in with a search for #BostonMarathon that morning.

Shock turned to horror as the initial pictures of the scene and then the videos of the blasts started rolling in.  My friends and I scoured the internet looking for any new information and any information at all about our friends and family that had been running.  Finally, through the grapevine (a.k.a. social media) we got word that all of our connections were safe and unharmed.

So we turned back to the newscasts, the posts, and the tweets, desperately hoping someone could tell us WHY, and shaking our heads in disgust when additional explosive devices were found - someone had wanted it to be even worse than it was.  The thought kept rolling over and over in my mind.  As bad as it had been, someone had wanted MORE damage, MORE injuries, MORE heartache.  And then shock and grief made room for anger.

Runners are a community.  I may have only known the names of five of those twenty thousand runners out there on Monday morning, but they are all my family, as are all the runners around the world.  We share a common bond - running.  A friend made a comment about this feeling personal.  And I think that's exactly it.  IT IS PERSONAL.  There were so many emotions building up and I was stuck in my office trying to get work done - yeah, I'm gonna need to make up those hours this week.

Then I saw it.  Another friend's facebook post that perfectly articulated what was going through my head:

I don't know about you, but I wasn't planning on going for a run today. But I am now.

This.  This was the answer.  Today wasn't a run day.  But I NEEDED it to be.  I needed to get out there and pound the pavement and have an outlet for the fear, the frustration, the anger, the sorrow.  So after work I headed home and changed and headed out the door.  Okay, I'd forgotten that Dallas is experiencing it's first warm spell - and it was 89* and sunny, windy, and humid - blech.  

That was a pretty miserable run - but I just kept thinking about what those people saw and heard and dealt with, so I kept going. I was thinking about Boston through the whole run but didn't feel the need to cry...until I walked in the front door and sat down on the stairs to take off my shoes.  Suddenly, sitting there, still dripping in sweat and gasping for breath, I was overwhelmed by the emotion of it all, and finally the tears that had been threatening all day surfaced.  And I cried.

It was the perfect therapeutic release. So, if you're feeling lost, hurt, angry, or scared - go for a run.  Feel your feet pounding the pavement and feel the same motion those Boston runners felt.  See your fellow runners running with you, coming towards you, and passing you - they are your family.  Use the emotions to power that run.  Feel the emotions pour over you when you finish.  You won't regret it.  Join with your running community as we begin to heal - and take that first step towards healing.