The Voice In My Head

I have a voice inside my head.

No, I’m not crazy.  I hear it when I run.

It says:

“Relax your shoulders, Heather”

And

“You got this, Heather

It is the voice in my head that makes me a better runner. The advice and training that have helped me PR more than once.

This voice makes me believe I can do things I never thought I could do, like get faster and run a marathon.

It’s the voice of my hero.  It’s the voice of my running guru.

It’s the voice of my friend:

My friend who ran and finished the Boston Marathon yesterday.

What happened in Boston yesterday was a tragedy in so many ways.

People were murdered and injured. 

Some people were denied their dreams.  And some people got to fulfill their dreams but have that overshadowed by an act of terrorism.

My friend has been running for a long time, but this was her first trip to Boston, the Super Bowl of foot races.

This weekend she sent me text messages from Boston with pictures of her with Olympian Meb Keflezighi and telling me much she loved the city of Boston.

She posted pictures of herself at the expo and we all tracked her during her run on Marathon Monday.

She ran so strong!  Finishing in just 3:35!!! 

She is AWESOME…and she is safe.

And for that I know we are all grateful.

I went for a run on the treadmill last night. It’s the class she normally teaches where we do speedwork. We’ve been working on getting me to a faster base pace.

She wasn’t there, but she kind of was.

She was in my head as I ran intervals at 6.0.

“Relax Your Shoulders, Heather”

She was in my head as I watched the Boston coverage on CNN on the treadmill TV.

“You got this, Heather”

And when someone told me they got a picture of her enjoying a glass of celebration champagne as she was sequestered in her hotel in Boston I cried.

I cried for those who died and were injured.

I cried for the runners who didn’t get to finish their race.

I cried for those who, like Jodi, did finish but their celebrations were short-lived.

I cried for my friend who found a way to celebrate this amazing accomplishment even in these horrible circumstances.

But even though I felt sad,  if there is one thing I've gained since becoming a runner, it’s the ability to hope.

I hope that they find the people who perpetrated this heinous crime.

I hope that the people of Boston can heal swiftly.              

I hope for those who were affected by this because the net was widely cast.

I hope someday I can run Heartbreak Hill.

But most of all I hope my friend realizes what an inspiration she is to so many of us.

I hope she knows how proud we all are to know her and to have followed her journey.

And I HOPE she is PROUD and still feels the JOY that only going for a really great run can bring.

I hope.