Like many across the nation and the world, I was horrified on Monday as my Twitter feed went from tweets cheering on the marathoners in Boston to tweets sharing a terrifying situation as it unfolded. In the days since, the horror of the bombings at the marathon finish line has saddened me to a degree I found a little surprising. I don't know anyone personally affected, but I think the fact that the victims are just normal people who were there to run, there to cheer, there to celebrate.

Running is a sport without a lot of barriers to entry. Lord knows, if I can become a runner just about anyone can! Slow, fast, short, tall, expensive Nikes or barefoot, many many people can participate. It's a sport that doesn't require a lot of cash outlay to get started. In fact, running is one of the first things many children do in their natural progression of development.

I'd wager that most of us have either run in a race or have cheered on friends and family in a race. Of course, it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to qualify and participate in the Boston Marathon. You don't have to have a qualifying time to be a runner, though. No matter the distance or the speed, there's a camaraderie in the running community.

It's been heartwarming to see the running community in our state come together to strengthen those bonds of health, fitness and the celebration of life in the wake of a tragedy like we've seen this week. All over the state, remembrance runs have popped up. One of the biggest will happen this Saturday in Lexington.

By misconmike

John's Run Walk Shop will host a remembrance run for Boston on Saturday 4/20 at 7 am. The group welcomes all speeds, abilities and distances to start off from the shop South Ashland Avenue in Lexington (Chevy Chase) and encourages the wearing of green and white (Boston's city colors).

If you're a runner but not able to attend the run on Lexington, will you dedicate a run this week to the folks in Boston? I know it weighed on my mind tonight, as I struggled through a few miles along the Kentucky River. No matter how tough those miles were, no matter how out of running shape I am, it felt good to get out there again.