Almost there. All of us.

Well folks, today is Monday and the Boston marathon is 3 short weeks away.  Wait...what???  I will be tackling my last long run this morning.  21 big ones.  My friend and fellow runner, JM, just did his last one this past Friday.  Lucky duck.  Many other Boston bound runners tuned up with the Eastern States 20 miler yesterday.  My point is this...all of us who are headed to the start in Boston this year, all 36,000 of us, are almost there.  Almost.  I have never wanted to run, or, I should really say, be a part of a marathon, more than I do this one.  I would imagine a lot of others who have been training along with me, whether it's their 1st marathon or their 101st, likely feel the same way.  And for most of us, this winter, in particular, has been a mental and physical battle of epic proportions. Throughout this training cycle, every time I headed outside for a run, I did my best to recognize that facing single digit temps and wind chills below zero was still nowhere near as challenging as some of the physical and mental battles that so many people have been fighting since last year's Boston marathon.  In a way, we've all been training for the race this year, runners and non-runners alike.  We've all been doing these long runs, some longer than others.  We've all been getting ready to face this day again.  And, on April 21st, we will all be toeing the line together.  All of us.

As we walk out, without question without doubt 

In the light that we have found, it is finally clear 

Our day has come, and we'll stand for who we are 

We are ready, we are young, we have nothing to fear

~ Birds of Tokyo, 'Lanterns'

Listen to this:
Lanterns - Birds Of Tokyo