Thoughts on Boston ( Part 1..maybe )

The running of the 113th. Boston Marathon is over..
( see http://www.baa.org/ ) & the rest they say, is history. The closest finish ever in the Women's race & Americans Kara Goucher & Ryan Hall earned 3rd. place finishes.

I finished in 3:45:35..( we are obsessed w/ time ! ) & had an absolutley incredible experience. I missed my goal , but I was pleased w/ the effort for the day.

I thought , for this edition , that I would just write a few thoughts about the trip ....nothing profound necessarily.....just my take on things. Here we go.......

Encouragement from friends & family , no matter what the form....is wonderful.

A friend that sacrifices his time for you ( see picture ) is a friend indeed. ( Sidenote..Mark my friend ran 3:12 :12 last year & stayed w/me this year ! )

A marathon is very physical , very mental & borderlines stupidity @ times !

I thought of all sorts of things & people around miles 21 - 23....most of you were there w/ me ....thanks !!!

There is no difference between crowds of screaming women be it Wellesley or hometown !

Seeing family after finishing was a welcomed sight.....funny how that works !

Athlete's Village can be subject to interpretation !

Lot's of friendly peeps from Hopkinton to Boston.....support all the way. They know running in Beantown .

On a given day , you may just not have it !!! ( 5 Crank gels & water every mile does not ensure a "goal" finish ! )

Coffee is truly GOD created !

A warm hug from your wife & coffee are GOD created ! ( Thanks honey ! )

Runners, when assembled together probably annoy the crap out of everyone else !

Downhills are no longer something to which I look foward.

Hills after downhills are difficult.

I am a new fan ( sort of ) of Citgo ...

Fenway Park is awesome from the outside...

I guess enough for now.....perhaps I will write more thoughts next time because .....we tend to be OCD & annoy the crap out of people .

As Charlie says..."Run like you stole something" ! NWSC / KTR out of here...for now !

Ecclesiastes 7:8; Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.

Stop the Bleeding !

If you are an avid sports fan or play sports , surely you have heard the saying " stop the bleeding" . There is even a "slaughter rule" in High School ball where the game is "called" if a team is ahead by a certain margin in the latter innings. Thank God for efficiency huh ?

I grew up playing alot of golf ( remember that golf spelled backwards is "flog" ) & we used to say that alot, when someone started to choke ie. "stop the bleeding".

This weekend the Masters is being played..." Sunday @ Augusta " & also it is Easter Sunday.

What if someone had been there to "stop the bleeding" ? There would be no Easter bunny ? No Peeps ? No flippin' Chocolate Bunnies ?

No my friends, if there had been someone there to "stop the bleeding" , there would be no eternal hope for mankind. Think about what the Man has done for us. He willingly went to the cross for our sin to offer us eternal life. He rode into town on a "prophesied donkey" in a parade knowing this was His death march. He knew the "slaughter rule" was about to be invoked.

What are you doing to celebrate Easter ? Hiding eggs ? Biting the ears off of the chocolate bunny ? Putting on your Sunday best " brand new" Easter outfit so you can attend church before Christmas ?

I pray that we all celebrate the Risen Christ , the One who conquered sin & the grave ! He holds a place for all of us . All we have to do is really accept His offer & believe that He is who He says He is.

Color eggs , eat Peeps , buy a new wardrobe.....but DON'T leave Him in the grave & out of your life !

Hebrews 9:22; In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed w/ blood, w/o the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness .