It’s a Saturday in late December of 2013. My father is spending the last few hours of his life in bed, finally conceding to the cancer he’s fought for over five years. Just three of us now and the muted television. Aerial alpine scenes from somewhere, as if transmitted live by bird.
I held my running more gently this year, showed myself some patience and grace. It was all quite intentional… A grab at something deeper than the time on the finish clock. Going into the final "A" race of the season, I was just as intentional, with a twist.
It's a mistake to cling to rigid training modalities and success metrics. Rigid systems break. When things get difficult, we're wise to pause and remember that we always have options. Deploying thoughtful and intentional choices gives us agency… and agency is the bedrock of hope.
It's not quite right to call our return to Boston a “re-do.” That would imply a desire to erase or replace the tragic events of 2013. We never wanted to forget. Much like other aspects of recovery, Boston 2023 was about making peace with the past and fully experiencing the present.
This is the first time I’ve tried to put my 2013 Boston Marathon experience into words. Hell, it might be the first time I’ve challenged myself to really think about it. Mine bears no comparison to the stories of the thousands whose lives were broken on April 15.
Author and Ted Talker Simon Sinek hangs his hat on this thing called the “golden circle.” The idea is that, when undertaking just about any venture (and especially when communicating it to others) a person should start with why.
