May 3, 2013: I am mostly recovered from physical illness and back to walking as much as one-and-a-half hours at a time. Six miles down, and only twenty to go. I’m a coach; I can coach myself.
The mental and emotional part of health and wellness will take a little longer, maybe a lot longer, to recuperate. (Remember, I’m a health ed. teacher by trade at the moment.)
One good friend sent me this article from “The New Yorker,” by Haruki Murakami. It is a beautiful piece. Interestingly enough, another good friend left his book, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running,” on my desk upon my return from Boston. I cannot wait to dive in and read his good work. (However, first, I had to finish my own small and humble piece, what with last-minute editing.)
I hope everyone will read his entire article, it is truly beautiful. A few things struck home with me:
“Emotional scars . . . In a sense, the real pain begins only after some time has passed,, after you’ve overcome the initial shock and things have begun to settle. . . “
“For me, it’s through running every single day, that I grieve for those whose lives were lost and for those who were injured on Boylston Street. This is the only personal message I can send them. I know it’s not much, but I hope that my voice gets through. I hope, too, that the Boston Marathon will recover from its wounds, and that those twenty-six miles will again seem beautiful, natural, free.”
Searching for words to express feelings about the experience have eluded me for the most part, but I found these words to send one of my dearest of friends there, just earlier today: “It was beyond description to be with you throughout Boston, the roller coaster of emotions in every sense. I hope your life and those of everyone involved in the tragedy will return to some sort of normalcy, with less drama, and that peace will prevail.” This is what I would like to say to everyone I know who was there. Also, I draw strength from the resiliency of the people of Boston.
Two videos to inspire:
B.A.A. Statement: Tom Grilk and Dave McGillivray
Boston Marathon Inspiration: Marathon Strong