Like a war zone

The pain is almost unbearable. A runners legs, like lead at this point. Each step is painful, they want to quit, stop running but the finish line is just ahead. The placement of each foot on the street causing excruciating pain, they wonder why they even signed up for this stupid race. Their mind plays tricks on them, some hallucinate, some can't focus, but they run on.

They ignore the shin splints. Their thighs, on fire which each step on the Boston street, will take days to recover. Their core, tight as a drum 26 miles ago is now like mush, failing them. They ignore the pounding in their head which is caused by an overworked heart. The finish to the Boston Marathon is just steps away.

Thousands of spectators are gathered near the finish line, cheering every runner on. It's been a beautiful day. Some of the spectators are cheering for friends or family that have decided to test the limits of their body. Thousands of others are just there to take part in the celebration.

The runners with personal bests of 4 hours were just crossing the finish line when everything changed.
The runners biggest concerns at this point should be hydration, not how they can cross the finish line without being torn apart by ball bearings.

The first of 2 bombs went off a mere 10 seconds apart, right near the finish line. I still find it hard to believe that I am writing about the Boston Marathon and I just wrote the previous sentence.  Where the hell are we, the Gaza Strip?

Who's setting off bombs? Why are there bombs? In Boston?  For what?

Once again, the lowest form of human being raised his ugly head from whatever sewer pit he has been residing in.  Geographically his target was Boston. Actually, he targeted all Americans. I felt it all the way down here in Texas.

As of this writing, I don't believe they know if it is the work of some crazed nut-job working alone, or a premeditated attack by an international terrorist group. Watching the news and hearing of the 2 bombs, then the bomb at the JFK  library ( that may or may not have been a bomb), then word of 2 other bombs they found which were unexploded....well, I couldn't help but think back to 9/11, and the horror that unfolded in 3 different states over a period of hours. As time passed since then, I was beginning to convince myself that maybe we wouldn't have to worry everyday about acts of terror. Maybe that was just one perfectly planned but isolated incident, just a window into what other countries deal with everyday.
 Then, the massacre in Newtown CT happened, and now this.

If you've continued to read this post this far, you already know the sickening numbers of the death toll and wounded in the streets of Boston. You don't need me to give you a stat sheet.

Today an 8 year old boy went to watch the Boston marathon. There is a good chance as he watched, he dreamed of running his own Boston marathon some day. That won't happen now because he was tragically killed today by the act of a coward.

That should not have happened.
If we could only be as care free as this guy.