As I mentioned in last week's post, I've been telling my son stories about our family ever since he was a couple of days old. He's heard about our wedding day, vacations, and holiday traditions. I've also told him about my marathon training and racing experiences.

Who knows if he will run any races himself, but I hope he will let me retell him these stories many times as he grows up...how I saw a mama bear and her cubs during my most adventurous training run and ran in the pouring rain more times than I can count. How I "hit the wall" during my first marathon and had to rest for 30 minutes. But not too long after, ended up qualifying for Boston.

Boston was by far my favorite marathon. The crowd support was spectacular and the runners were all in their element. To run that race from start to finish is an experience all runners deserve.

Gratefully, I was no where near Boston when the bombing occurred last year. Like many others, I've read news stories and watched segments about "Boston Strong." When my son is old enough to understand this tragedy, I hope to share these runners', spectators' and first responders' stories with him in such a way that he sees their courage, strength and spirit. I also hope that he can understand the Boston Marathon for what it was before and can be after this tragedy.