a matter of minutes

Before bed, I was just checking my email and saw that the marathon pictures had arrived. I opened it up and was looking through some of the fun Dorothy smiles. It was evident that I was really having such a great time and soaking up that Boston spirit.

When I got to the pictures that show me under the official clock at the finish line, my heart stopped. My official marathon time was 3:55. However, the clock that is running is the time that they started the race. Since I was in the second wave, I started about 5-6 minutes after the first wave. I had not put this together when I was recounting all that happened.  I asked Jason to come over to look at this with me as I was crying. 

The time on the clock when the explosions happened was 4:09:43.  

The time when I crossed the finish line was 4:01:45. 

Eight minutes. 

Not fifteen like I originally thought. 

Eight. 

As much as I want to put a closing thought on this, I don't have it. All I have right now is a brief distance of time-- a blink-- an exhale... 

 

My friend Lillian sent me this email on Friday morning after I posted the above email Thursday night which changes my understanding about the timing a bit, but the bottom line is that it still was a close call and it is sobering nonetheless.  The fact is that I was on that street and saw the explosion... this is something that has forever been stamped in my memory. 

As I said above, "All I have right now is a brief distance of time-- a blink-- an exhale..."

 

Hey Em-

 

I hope you are doing okay.  Are you still in Nashville?  Have you recovered physically and emotionally?

 

You were actually about 20-25 minutes before the blast, if that makes you feel any better.  The clock depicted in the blast was for Wave 3, so it was 4:09 into Wave 3, which started at 10:40.  The bombs went off at 2:50.  You should have finished around 2:20 or 2:25, well out of the way of danger.  Not sure if that makes you feel any better, but wanted to try to give you some assurances that you were safe when the blasts occurred.  My friends Lisa and Kathryn were in Wave 3, and they finished in 3:48 and 3:49, so they were at the buses getting their bags and saw the bombs go off.  I don’t know about you, but even though I feel blessed for having missed the explosions, I feel like it was all just timing, and I feel so terrible for those who were not as lucky, so I am still having sleepless nights thinking about it.  IT was all a close call, no matter how you look at it.

 

If you are still here, I would love to see you!  So fun seeing you in Boston, but I wish the finish had been more celebratory.

 

Xoxo- Lillian