Pray for Boston

We are a week out from the terrible bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the gravity of the attack is still just as heavy as it was seven days ago. My heart breaks for the families of those whose lives were taken and effected by this tragic event.  I am praying for Boston alongside so many others- I wish I could hop and a plane and fly there to do something for them- but for now I’ll pray hard.

For me this hits so close to home because races are my passion. I love them. I love the hard work that it takes to train, the intensity it requires to complete and the mental toughness needed to make it to the end. Races have so much energy, the people cheering along the streets, the runner’s feet pounding the pavement next to me, the beads of sweat rolling down my face, the banners streaming the last 100 meters of the final sprint to the end.

I can imagine that many of the racers that Monday morning were feeling the same way I usually do during a race; excited to get started and anxious to finish something they have worked so hard for. I know for me, as I’m running the race I have a mental tracker going of how many miles I’ve done, how many to go, the hills that lie ahead, the next water station. But what I always remember is the feeling I have when I see the finish line. It’s a runner’s safety zone. The moment we can relax. Sadly, for the Boston runners this was not the case. They did not get the relief of the finish line that racers look forward to- And it devastates my heart to think about it. I cannot wrap my mind around what those men did. I cannot understand it. I cannot fully grasp what the people of Boston are going through either.

I am sorry for the families that are hurting. I’m hurting right there with you. And I am praying alongside you. My heart goes out to Boston and those that were deeply affected by this unthinkable act.

 

~ Erin