That NY Marathon Glow

After my last post, I think I owe you some uplifting news.

Running has definitely changed me in a million-and-one ways...The most startling may be that I can now sit and watch people running and feel a sense of exuberance instead of boredom. I wonder if non-runners watching races on TV feel how I do when I watch golf.

But I feel a vicarious thrill when I watch running on TV now, and the NY Marathon had everything you could want from a televised event. There were poignant stories about runners overcoming Hurricane Sandy, runners covering the 26.2 in honor of Boston, runners leading their fellow tribesman* to the finish...

Click for the full story.

I can hardly watch and not feel my heart swell. I am so honored to be part of this community.

Click for the full story.

Here are some awesome stories and pictures from the NY Marathon this weekend. Over 50,000 people ran. Each one has a different motivation and story behind their decision to become a runner. I could read these stories all day long.

Click for the full story.

Runner's World has a beautiful collection of photos from this year's marathon that captured the beauty of it, but also the new security measures taken after Boston. I opted to focus on the beauty:

All three photos taken from here.

And of course, there's always a heartwarming story following the elite runners. This year's big story was Meb, who admitted to being under-trained and had a bad race. (I love that his "bad race" would be a race I can't imagine running in my wildest dreams.)

Like the true class-act that he is, Meb describes how he kept himself going even when he felt he'd hit the wall. He and Cassidy crossed the finish line together. The moral here is that even the elite runners have bad days and need to put the time into their training; the second moral is that running is about more than just winning.

Click for his interview...seriously so moving and wonderful to watch.

As if we needed a reminder of that.

Oh, and one more picture from the Runner's World slideshow I just loved. Here's Lusapho April from South Africa after he crossed the finish line in 2:09. I may be a turtle in comparison, but I definitely know this feeling.

Pure, unadulterated joy.

If that doesn't leave you with a smile on your face, I don't know what will.

What were your favorite stories to come out of the NY Marathon this week?
Have you ever paced someone or helped someone dig deep to get to the finish?
What is your favorite part of being a member of this glorious tribe?

ABK

*For those that are new to my blog, I use the word "tribe" to describe this huge, world-spanning family of runners to which we all belong. It comes from Once A Runner, one of my all-time favorite running novels. If you haven't picked up it, do!