As a finisher of 8 marathons, soon to be doing the 9th in Fargo next month, where do you start to describe the scene near the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday? At first, shock, disbelief. Then denial–afterall, how could someone possibly do this? Now today, anger. The whole spectrum of emotions. A lot of these same emotions you experience when you are actually running a marathon. You start off excited, overjoyed, and can’t wait to get started. You are just soaking up the entire atmosphere, relishing in the fact of how hard you have trained to get ready for this event. It is fun, but make no mistake, it is work! After awhile, you get into a groove, and are just running. Somewhere along mile 15, fatigue starts entering into the picture. A little anxiety creeps in, and then as you get further into it, somewhere around mile 20-21, you start to get worried. The exhaustion starts setting in, and you begin to wonder “am I going to be able to finish?” Panic starts to set in, and you keep telling yourself, remember all of the work I have put into this, the hours running, and you are telling yourself “yes, I can do this!” You start to get within a half mile of the finish line, and you are fired up. The end is near. It is so close, it is like you can taste it. You approach the finish line, and everybody is out there, cheering you on, your family is out in the crowd, yelling your name. They have stood behind you always, and in particular, this last many months as you are training for this. You have trained to feel the joy and overwhelming emotion of crossing the finish line. You have done it! 26.2 miles! You start being overcome with emotions…tears come, exhaustion has reached its max, and you are happy and thrilled that you have completed your goal. Here is Steve and I as we finished the Disney marathon this January…the look of exhaustion on us, the emotions of tears starting on Steve’s face. No other words to describe it.
Now…go to yesterday afternoon. The shock, fear, chaos, all of this happening just before the finish line. You are overwhelmed with emotions already from running, and now several bombs are going off…your family who is out there to see you and cheer you on, are now hurt. Now to make matters worse, they held off all of these other runners back from the area…they no longer can finish when they are this close, and they have no idea if members of their family are ones that are hurt. Now talk about undescribable emotion! Where do you even begin? The race no longer matters…it is now about your family, and other peoples family who are hurt. How can an activity that can bring so much overpowering joy and emotion, become so devastating in the blink of an eye.
Running the Boston Marathon has been on my bucket list for the last 21 years. I have never qualified for it. I have never been able to run in it. This does not mean I still don’t want to. I could run it as a member of the medical team, but I have always wanted to run because I earned it. That does not mean any marathon, or other race I run, I would not help someone who needed medical help. That is a given…I would just do without thinking. This is what one running physician did yesterday. He was approaching the finish line when the bomb went off…he never crossed the line. He turned around and began helping whoever he could. One of the interviews on TV I saw say he was covered in blood, and someone asked him if he was hurt. His response, “I am a doctor, and I just want to help”. Nothing else matters at that point. It is no longer about a race. It is about life. Remember these runners, and their families going forward. I may not have been running Boston, and I may not have qualified for Boston, but I am still a runner…and if I have anything to say about it, I always will!
Keep moving everybody! Keep these Boston people in your thoughts and your hearts.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2029
