My sister-in-law gave me a daily calendar of all my instagram photos for Christmas. On Monday, it was a picture of one of my favorite places in New York City: the McCarren Park track. I remember taking it while I was injured last fall, and was missing running so much I went to the track to sit and watch the runners do their thing. And then I took the photo:

There’s something about simply being around the running community that’s infectious. Never have I met such a supportive, kind, and fun-loving group of people. I’ve made so many wonderful friendships — people who’ve not only run miles and drank beer with me, but pushed me to become stronger and more resilient, on and off the roads.

And they’re not just my running buds… they’re family. And the amount of posts I’ve read about Boston reminds me how writing and blogging is such a special way to not only offload emotions, but engage and support one another. And for every personal post I’ve read, the sadness and frustration tends to stem from this: “someone attacked my family.”

But just when the tragedy on Monday meant to ruin the running community, it only created an even stronger bond.  Because you can’t break the running family. We’re too strong for that.

My heart goes out to all runners, and any & everyone affected by what happened in Boston. All my strength & love,