Hitting Close To Home

Very recently, I ran the Hogeye 4-person relay marathon.  This was a much larger and more formal race than my first race, the Poker Run.  That made me nervous, but also very excited.  I ran the second leg, which was 6 miles.  I ran at a 9:50 pace and was ranked #9 out of the 33 other women relay runners on my leg.  My team was ranked #7 out of 33 and we were very happy about that.  We weren't running to be competitive and win first place so we thought that was very good!  It was only my second race and first relay and I really enjoyed it!  Something about having teammates who cheer you on was really motivating to me.  I even got my first race medal, which I was so excited about!  Here are some pictures from the race:

Me and my teammates cool and smiling pre-race.

My medal; pretty cool!

After I ran my leg, I went to cheer on my sister as she was finishing the 3rd leg and then went to the finish line to cheer on my teammate, Holly, as she was finishing her leg.  That being said, like so many others, I was shocked and saddened to see and hear what happened at the Boston Marathon.

It hit close to home because that's exactly where I was standing at the Hogeye Marathon.  I stood at the fun finish line with dance music bumping, people dancing and cheering, and food and drinks flowing, waiting to cheer on my teammate and take pictures of her as she crossed the finish line.  It was so much fun and not once was I concerned about danger.  I'm sure that's somewhat like the Boston Marathon finish line was.  

I am so happy that law enforcement tracked down the suspects and hopeful that the second suspect will recover and we will find out more information about their motives and use that information to do what we can to help prevent future events like this.  

Like others, I was glad to see the good side of humanity come out during this time as well.  The first responders and civilians helping the injured, and the nation pulling together to support Boston, were inspiring.  I am still praying for all those impacted in Boston (as well as West, Texas).   

My friend, Mandy, made this statement on Facebook and I thought it summed up nicely some of what I was thinking during this time as well:

"I saw a comment today that said that all people are born good. It's a nice thought, though not entirely accurate. True all people are born with the ability to do good, but with the propensity toward evil. Not that all people will become crazed killers, but even my 17 mo old will demonstrate an understanding that he is not supposed to do something and does it anyway. We all intentionally or unintentionally hurt others in a variety of ways, act selfishly more times that we would probably care to admit, and under the right circumstances can snap out of fear, anger, frustration, and desperation. This comment, while it is a nice thought, causes me to reflect on what is good about me and what are traits or behaviors that are not. Upon this reflection, I become evermore grateful for the grace and mercy shown to me by God and forces me to acknowledge that really and truly the only good things about are because of and from God himself."     

Next post, I'll catch you up on the Primal Challenge, which I ran this weekend.  "No pain, no gain" should be the motto of this race!