Why running is important to our humanity...

I promise to keep this one short but the bombings at the Boston Marathon got me thinking, and my run last night got me thinking more.  This is not necessarily just an attack on America, it is an attack on our humanity.  PLEASE bear with me while I explain this. The thing to understand is that running is fundamental to our species, we are built for running.  Take it to what it has become today a health/fitness/sport and some could argue that have moved beyond the fundamental but still in running we find our humanity.

Running is at it core a free activity.  Anyone can participate regardless of gender, religion, nationally, ethnicity, sexual orientation, weight and/or socioeconomic class because of this at its core it is the best of humanity...it is an activity we can do alone, with friends, in a large group and even to raise funds for a charity. Its not about how far or how fast it is just about doing, about one foot in front of the other...the way we persevere. This is why this attack is really an attack on our humanity we show our best side when we run.

If you watch the video of the first bomb going off, you see many people running towards it, why because they run to help. NBC sports reported that many runners after finishing the marathon, ran on to Bostons Mass. General to give blood, why... because they run to help.  Many people, my self included have dedicated runs to honor those who's lives were lost, who were injured, who were there and bore witness to this tragedy, for Boston, and for America why...because we run to help.

Running is about encouraging others, running is about supporting others, running is community, running is our humanity.  If this attack keeps people from participating out of fear; we as a society, as a global community loose. If you can't run that is okay, we will run for you, but if you can't run then thinking about wearing the colours to support Boston - Boston blue and yellow.

Running really isn't about the gear, or how you look while doing it, while admittedly there are some who will say its' all about both of those, but they are missing the true essence.  Running is about who we are, where we came from and where we are going.  My hope is our humanity wins over our fear, because in that we reclaim the power from those who would choose to greet this world with fear and chaos instead of openness and acceptance. RUN ON!

Namaste,

Amber

Running tonight...for Boston

Well it has been almost 3 years since my last run, due to mono kicking my ass and some interesting complications, but I have been feeling the itch quite heavily lately so I have been back at the gym, and doing my squats hoping to work up to an easier transition back to running.  To HELL with it!!!

With the Boston Marathon being the target of an act of terrorism today I feel the need to show solidarity with my running community. I feel the need to connect with the pavement. I feel the need to run...not away from this act, but towards a collective cry of "ENOUGH!"  

I grew up in the 80's when the threat of being Nuked was only mitigated by the "assured mutual destruction" that the superpowers had and us in Canada breathed a little easier with that...now we have cowards that plant bombs in crowds. We live in a society gripped by fear of everything from the unknown stranger to a package that has been ill placed - maliciously or not.  How can we survive our own fear?  

By continuing to live, by continuing to celebrate each day and by running the SOB's and whoever they represent can go not back into the holes they crawled out of but straight to HELL!

So tonight I reconnect with the pavement.  I do it to honor those injured and killed today and to bear witness not to the cowardice act but to the courage of all the first responders, the bystanders, the city of Boston, the American people and the global community...I dedicate this to all of you!

Be safe!

Amber

**Update - joined about 30 other people - some regular runners with the group and some like me specifically out to show support for Boston...it was a great feeling.  5 k in the books, felt great while doing it and even now...great first  run for a first in 3 years.  Thanks for the shares and support on Facebook - you guys are all awesome and I find a lot of motivation from all your shares. On a side note I did better than I figured I would, and while the wind was a little cold I remembered to layered up and was comfortable the whole run.  Just goes to show you even an impromptu run can be a great run.

Namaste
Amber