Abrupt
I was originally planning on naming this post "invasion of the blue jackets" but "abrupt" is the only word that I could come up with after the unfolding of yesterday's events. The Boston marathon came to an abrupt end at 2:50 pm yesterday when two explosions occurred on Boylston St.
Luckily all my friends and family were not in the immediate vicinity and were not harmed. None the less, it really shakes you when something like this happens and you really have to feel for those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Saturday
The whole weekend began a little off for me as I started to struggle with a stomach bug Friday afternoon. I initially made my way over to the Hynes convention center around 10 Saturday morning to pick up my packet for the BAA 5K (held the day before the marathon with the same finish). This is when I originally got my idea for the title "invasion of the blue jackets" as roughly 70% of the people I saw had put there new 2013 Boston Marathon jacket on the second they picked it up. The mood of the crowd was excited to say the least.
Sunday
Still struggling with my stomach bug, Amy, Neil, and I made our way into Boston for the 5K on Sunday morning. At this point I knew the chance of a PR was pretty slim, but I figured, what the hell, give it what I got. After Amy and Neil dropped me off I walked up and down Boylston St just taking in the scenery.
I stopped briefly to look through the window of Marathon Sports and smiled when I remember when Amy and I were there for a compression clinic last year and Amy silenced the instructor by telling him that pregnancy was the injury she was suffering from.
I started off with "desired" 5K pace and held it for about 3/4 of a mile at which I declared myself out of energy. From there I had to push hard to keep going at a reasonable clip and slowed considerable. The course was sort of a loop, but with 13 hard 90 degree turns. I guess that is what you get for city running. As I came down the famed stretch on Boylston, I picked it back up and past a few in the final 50 yards hitting the line at 19:13. Not one of my best by any means, but not that bad considering how awful I felt.
A few minutes later, Amy and Neil found me and after a quick trip to Starbucks, we sat down in the grandstands to watch the invitational races: 1K for the Middle Schoolers, and 1 mile for the High Schoolers and Pros. We enjoyed watching them all push and enjoy their glory, specifically the kiwi who finished 4:03 for the mile. Neil even made a friend named Mikaela, the 2 yr daughter of one of the Kenyan runners. After a quick brunch with some friends, we headed home.
Monday
The day began early as I dropped off my sister at Wellington Station to catch the SRR bus out to Hopkinton. This was her 2nd marathon / 2nd Boston. After a short morning nap, I watched the elites run the marathon on TV before heading to Newton to cheer on the runners from the 30K mark / the SRR water stop. Shortly after my sister went by, I decided to head home as I still was under the weather.
About 5 minutes after I got home is when the explosions happened and as I watched the news in disbelief I quickly called my parents. Luckily, my sister had finished 10 minutes earlier and my parents had not yet gotten there. As Neil crawled around, I admired his innocence and how he did not know or understand what was happening.
Over the next hour, we were able to confirm the whereabouts of our friends and luckily no one was injured. I had friends within a half mile of the finish and friends that had finished within the last 2 minutes. Way too close for comfort.
Over the past 24 hours I have read many articles as I try to make sense of any of this. I have quickly realized that I never will. I leave you with quote from the comedian Patton Oswalt who can at least give inspiration in dealing with this.
"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.'"
Luckily all my friends and family were not in the immediate vicinity and were not harmed. None the less, it really shakes you when something like this happens and you really have to feel for those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Saturday
The whole weekend began a little off for me as I started to struggle with a stomach bug Friday afternoon. I initially made my way over to the Hynes convention center around 10 Saturday morning to pick up my packet for the BAA 5K (held the day before the marathon with the same finish). This is when I originally got my idea for the title "invasion of the blue jackets" as roughly 70% of the people I saw had put there new 2013 Boston Marathon jacket on the second they picked it up. The mood of the crowd was excited to say the least.
Sunday
Still struggling with my stomach bug, Amy, Neil, and I made our way into Boston for the 5K on Sunday morning. At this point I knew the chance of a PR was pretty slim, but I figured, what the hell, give it what I got. After Amy and Neil dropped me off I walked up and down Boylston St just taking in the scenery.
I stopped briefly to look through the window of Marathon Sports and smiled when I remember when Amy and I were there for a compression clinic last year and Amy silenced the instructor by telling him that pregnancy was the injury she was suffering from.
I started off with "desired" 5K pace and held it for about 3/4 of a mile at which I declared myself out of energy. From there I had to push hard to keep going at a reasonable clip and slowed considerable. The course was sort of a loop, but with 13 hard 90 degree turns. I guess that is what you get for city running. As I came down the famed stretch on Boylston, I picked it back up and past a few in the final 50 yards hitting the line at 19:13. Not one of my best by any means, but not that bad considering how awful I felt.
Monday
The day began early as I dropped off my sister at Wellington Station to catch the SRR bus out to Hopkinton. This was her 2nd marathon / 2nd Boston. After a short morning nap, I watched the elites run the marathon on TV before heading to Newton to cheer on the runners from the 30K mark / the SRR water stop. Shortly after my sister went by, I decided to head home as I still was under the weather.
About 5 minutes after I got home is when the explosions happened and as I watched the news in disbelief I quickly called my parents. Luckily, my sister had finished 10 minutes earlier and my parents had not yet gotten there. As Neil crawled around, I admired his innocence and how he did not know or understand what was happening.
Over the next hour, we were able to confirm the whereabouts of our friends and luckily no one was injured. I had friends within a half mile of the finish and friends that had finished within the last 2 minutes. Way too close for comfort.
Over the past 24 hours I have read many articles as I try to make sense of any of this. I have quickly realized that I never will. I leave you with quote from the comedian Patton Oswalt who can at least give inspiration in dealing with this.
"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.'"
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