Sunday, April 20, 2008

An Ode to Boston

Today is April 20 and it is two weeks from now that I hope to be reveling in a Boston qualifying run in Frederick, Maryland. If things go well it will be just around 9:40 a.m. when I cross the line knowing that I'll be headed to Boston next April. The holy grail of marathoning. And so that brings me to today's post. The Boston Marathon.

Tomorrow is the 112th running of Boston. Even if I had qualified in Philadelphia in November I would not be there right now. The plan was always to use my qualifying time in 2009. But yesterday and today I cannot help but think about where I would be and what I would be doing right now in Boston, Massachusetts. For some people I suppose it would be like Christmas or an anniversary. For me the day of the Boston Marathon is a special day even though I'm not there. It makes me continue to hope and wonder will next year be the year?

In my life I've had many goals and accomplished a lot of them. And even though I can honestly say that it has only been a little less than two years since I set my sights on Boston, it still seems like it's been a lifetime of effort. It is my life and focus right now. It teases and tortures me every time I lace up my running shoes. I guess you could call it my obsession. And why? I don't bother with those kinds of questions. It is something I want to do, and I will stop and nothing to get there. Yes, there are times I wonder if and when but mostly I continue to run and stay focused on the end goal. The important thing is I believe it will happen even if it takes me a lifetime to get there. And tomorrow morning when thousands are toeing the line in Hopkington, Massachusetts I'll be there in spirit dreaming of the day when I'll join them and complete my journey.

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