What I Learned from the Boston Marathon :: Lessons on Resiliency, Persistence, and the Strength of Community

"...that’s what you've taught us, Boston. That’s what you've reminded us -- to push on. To persevere. To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches. We summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on. We finish the race." ~ Barack Obama (April 18, 2013)

Today marks a somber anniversary. It has been 10 years since the Boston Marathon bombings. April 15th, 2013 was a day that started out bright and beautiful, but as life can, in a moment that all changed.

As I reflect back on that day, I recall waking early (well before dawn) to walk down to Boston Commons to catch the buses to Hopkington to head to the starting line to run my first Boston Marathon. It was with equal parts excitement and anxiousness that I would begin my run back to Boston, and with each step I was amazed by the turnout and support of the community. Just under three hours from crossing the start line I would reach the finish line and soon would be celebrating my sub 3:00 marathon time, a PR.

Sadly, we all know how that day would turn. Not long after reuniting with my family, news would start to come of the explosions near the finish line. And with it perhaps the most somber of lessons: that our lives can change in an instant. I and my family were lucky...we were far from the scene and safe, but tragically many were not so lucky. A number of runners, volunteers, and particularly spectators were injured, and three precious souls lost their lives. Many sadly still live with the scars from that day, and we remember the victims.

But there would be other lessons from that day and the weeks, days, and year to follow. We learned about the persistence, renewal, and resiliency of the human spirit and the unimaginable strength of our communities to persevere and rebound stronger. What I particularly learned was that the strength of this community existed well before the bombs went off. It was present in the towns and cities and the residents that stretched out all along the marathon route and traced far beyond. There is at the root of healthy communities a strength that manifest itself in the form of our personal identity, sense of place, and pride.

On the evening of April 15th, 2013 I wrote the following:

I learned today as I ran the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston that the Boston Marathon is about community. It is about the community of Boston and the seven towns that are linked by the race course. It is about the community of runners that are the fortunate guests of these municipalities. It is about the community that on one special Monday in April, aptly called 'Patriot's Day', the streets are lined with spectators there to cheer on the runners from around the world, people they've never met, and lift them up Heartbreak Hill, and guide them to the great city of Boston: from the screaming ladies of Wellesley to the Screaming Eagles of BC; from the Red Sox fans around Fenway to hoardes crowding the last few blocks to the finish. This is a community that is strong. This is a community that is proud. And I have no doubt that this is a community that will come together in the midst of this tragedy and will without doubt overcome!! And I am proud to be a part of that community. Today, I am a Bostonian!

In the year that followed, I continued to be amazed by the strength of the human spirit, presented in numbers of runners that wanted to "turn out" for Boston in 2014, by the showing of support from around the world, and in particular in the stories of the sheer persistence and resolve of the victims. Because I had requalified in 2013, I was excited to be among those running in support of the victims in 2014.

Unfortunately, a little more than a week before the marathon I would learn another lesson -- stay focused! Just after completing a 5K I was running around and carelessly jumped, not quite over, a low wall, resulting in an avulsion fracture of my ankle. I was crushed! I felt a sense of obligation to turn out and show my support for Boston, and had been raising money for the victims' fund. I felt that I had made certain commitments that needed to be followed through -- however and whatever that might mean.

The week that followed brought many lessons about resolve, patience, and the need to be adaptable and to accept that things happen, plans change, and we need to be prepared to roll with the punches.

I also was given a great sense of perspective by the reality of the situation. I quickly realized that my pain and frustration was temporary and would be short-lived. By comparison to the folks that I and countless others were coming to Boston in 2014 to show our support for, those that had suffered unspeakable injuries and treatments in the past year, I had no right to be down on myself.

As things would play out, I would ultimately still go to Boston, and, in spite of my injury I would still don my bib, ride the bus out to Hopkington, and start my journey back to Boston, running, walking, and hobbling.

I recounted the experience several days later in the recap below, in which I reference several other lessons learned along the way -- lessons about overcoming obstacles, persistence, and finding inspiration and strength in those around us.

Today and everyday, I encourage you to approach each new day with excitement, be prepared for the unexpected, draw strength from those around you, and never loss faith in the strength of community and the resilience of the human spirit. #bostonstrong

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Last year’s Boston Marathon was met with mixed emotions for me. There was the high of PR-ing, requalifying, and running a sub-3:00 marathon, then the extreme low of the tragedy that unfolded not long after. This year’s training was focused on returning to Boston to honor the victims and as a show of strength and solidarity with the city of Boston. I even started a fundraising campaign for The One Fund Boston, ‘Back-2-Back Boston 26.2’, with the goal of raising $2620 ($100 per mile), a virtual marathon of sorts. What I could have never expected was that just 9 days before the marathon I would suffer an injury that would take me from logging some of my fastest training runs to walking on crutches, leaving extreme doubt as to my ability to participate. While racing some kids after a second place finish in a small, local 5K, I would miscalculate a jump over a low wall, rolling my ankle, and resulting in an avulsion fracture. I was told by two physicians in the ER that there was likely little hope of me running the Boston Marathon.

This year’s Boston Marathon wasn’t exactly the experience I was expecting it to be. Instead of hitting Boston in peak condition, I hobbled into the city, my left foot in a brace, and faced each day with a shimmer of hope and a lot of doubt. Though I was determined to participate as fully as possible, I didn’t know exactly what that would mean. I knew I would still go to the expo, still retrieve my bib, and still don it on race day, even if only to stand along the course and cheer on my fellow runners. Fortunately for me, I was able to see an Orthopedist two days prior to leaving for Boston. After examining my ankle and reviewing my X-rays, he gave me the tiniest sliver of hope: that, though it would “hurt like hell” it was “permissible” for me to run the marathon without the fear of doing any long term damage, if I saw marked progress. The next few days were met with an emotional mix of optimism and doubt. I was able to get in two, very short ‘test runs’, which gave me some hope, though simply walking around the city still proved to be painful at times. When I awoke two days before the marathon, I still could not with confidence say whether or not I would be able to run.

But in the end, I would run, and though not at my peak, my experience forced me to focus very clearly on what was most important. While this was a personal challenge for me, it was more about doing it for my original intent and the intention of thousands upon thousands of runners: to show the survivors, to show all of Boston, in fact to show the world that we ran for them in acknowledgment of all they had been through. Every mile, I was reminded that my struggle was temporary, that my pain would eventually subside, but that my struggle paled in comparison to what so many had gone through in the past year. Ultimately, it was their resilience that would give me the will and determination to carry on.

This year's Boston Marathon was about the resilience of the human spirit. The ability to push beyond our comfort zones and perceived limits when we are called upon to do so. I was running for people who had experienced unspeakable challenges, endured indescribable pain and suffering. I was damned if I was going to let an ankle injury stop me from running!

 Likewise, I was greatly inspired by a cast of determined individuals that, throughout their own lives, had not let their unique personal challenges keep them from completing their race. From the inspiring Tatyana McFadden, the Russian orphan born without the use of her legs, who would win her second consecutive Boston Marathon, to the inspirational father and son duo of Dick and Rick Hoyt, who at 73 and 52 respectively, ran their 32nd Boston Marathon. From Potomac, MD resident Larry Chloupek, who lost his left leg at the age of 7 to bone cancer, and whose determination inspired me greatly when I saw him along the way making the 26.2 mile trek on crutches, to the nameless runner with the running blade who too put into perspective just how minor my injury was.

This year’s Boston Marathon wasn’t about PRs or requalifying. No, it was about much more than that. This year’s marathon reminded me about the fickle nature of our existence. That there are no guarantees. That sometimes our plans, our hopes, our dreams will change. That we are not always in control. That we must learn to adapt and change; to not let the bad things that happen affect our outlook, or to give up or lose hope. It taught me that we each must strive to remain true to ourselves, determined to find the positive, no matter how fleeting, in our experiences, and to as fully as possible execute our will.

This year’s Boston Marathon also reinforced for me the incredibly support and love that surrounds me; of the great kindness that we have to give others when times are tough. Through this experience, I was supported and encouraged by my fellow runners, my friends, and my family, near and far. I knew that I was not alone as I dealt with my frustration, my doubt, and my recovery, and that I certainly would not be alone on the journey from Hopkinton to Boston. In this age of runner tracking, I knew that folks were following my progress, and I knew that I could not disappoint!

Yes, this year’s Boston Marathon was different because it forced me to slow down, to draw strength from the crowd, to be thankful that though I could not always run, I could still move in the direction of my goal, and when I finally came to those infamous intersections and that final stretch of pavement, that newly sacred space, that I could look around, and take it all in and be thankful for the opportunity to take part in this great communion of runners and spectators, collectively showing our unstoppable strength. From the answered prayers and a warmth of positive energy that strengthened me daily, to the resonating memory of those that had been lost too soon, unable to complete their journey, who were ever present with each and every step I took closer to Boston, this year’s Boston Marathon was deeply spiritual. And so it was with eyes turned skyward and gratitude in my heart that I crossed the finish line.

A sign spotted along my journey read “Either Do or Do Not. There is no try.” Though each mile was still met with cautious optimism tinged with the realization that finishing was never a guarantee, when I saw this message (actually a quote from Star Wars’ Yoda) it solidified my determination that I would no longer ‘try my best’, but rather I would ‘do my best’. In the end, I would meet my new goal: to finish strong for Boston.

No, this year’s Boston Marathon wasn’t exactly the experience I was expecting it to be. In the end, it was much more significant than I could have ever imagined. [April 28, 2014]