By Jamie Rosen, DietBet

There’s a big connection between running and weight loss. Running burns roughly 100 calories a mile. More importantly, it boosts your energy all day and makes you more conscientious about your health and diet. Plus, time spent running is time not spent popping Skittles on the couch. (And losing a few excess pounds before a big race can help boost your times, too.) 

No doubt that many of you already know this, and this is why you’ve looked to RunKeeper to set weight loss goals. For those of you in that camp, what keeps you on track? Is it a solid workout schedule? Calorie counter? Avoiding the cookie aisle?

Now imagine if there was money on the line. If you didn’t lose those pounds you said you would, then you’d have to pay up, and if you did, you stood to earn a nice reward!  Oh, and you’d have your friends cheering (or heckling) you on along the way. 

That’s where DietBet comes in! DietBet uses basic behavioral economics­—financial incentives and loss aversion—to give you extra motivation to get in shape (you RunKeeper users who connect to GymPact are likely familiar with this concept). Players bet money into the pot and commit to lose 4% of their starting weight in 4 weeks (we’ll be offering other options soon). Once you’ve bet money on yourself, the psychology of weight loss changes. It’s suddenly easier to pass on dessert or to drag yourself out of bed on a cold, wet Saturday morning to get in a run. Think of what you already do for money, like putting up with your boss, and imagine how much easier it’ll be to exercise and eat right if you’re getting paid to do it. That’s the power of DietBet.

But DietBet isn’t only about money. Like RunKeeper, it’s also about fun social interactions. You can easily set up a bet with other friends and take those weight loss goals from personal to communal. When you play in a DietBet, you get to compete, trash-talk, and collaborate with all the other people in your game. Since DietBet is not winner-take-all (everyone who hits the goal splits the pot evenly), there’s a spirit of camaraderie and support that arises from working towards a shared goal, a collective sense of accomplishment that will be familiar to all RunKeeper users. 

RunKeeper and DietBet are kindred spirits. At their core, they’re all about healthy motivation. Both have an almost magical ability to transform what many people would consider dreary and solitary chores—running and losing weight—into fun, uplifting social activities. You can connect your RunKeeper account to Dietbet here. 

So if you want some extra help in your mission to losing weight, check out DietBet. It’s a snap to set up a game and invite friends, or you can just join a game starting soon at DietBet.com. You decide how much to bet and when to start. And now, you can record your weight on RunKeeper (or by connecting a Withings scale to your account) and we’ll post it on DietBet. 

Jamie Rosen is Founder & CEO of DietBetter, makers of the DietBet Social Dieting Game

What do you think? Have you found friends (or money) to be motivational? How would you use DietBet?

The crew at Jawbone was so excited about our integration, they decided to run a route with RunKeeper that spelled out Jawbone. Pretty awesome, right?

I’ve got a pretty bad case of the runs.

There’s something that happens to me when I’m revving up to try running again. Other on-again, off-again runners (and I use the term runner loosely) can probably relate. I start dreaming about running. And in my dreams, I’m running smoothly and painlessly and I feel immense joy. My nighttime dreams become daydreams. Then I start talking about it out loud.

“I’m thinking of giving running another try,” I say and get a surge of happiness. My friends roll their eyes, “Oh my God, the running again.”

Eventually, inspiration meets courage. I lace up those sneakers and head out. Then Newton’s Laws of Motion smack me in the face with a harsh dose of reality. Because man, it’s hard to get this body moving.

I’m a non-runner runner. What I mean is, I feel like deep down I’m a runner, but I don’t actually run. It’s like a club I’ve hoped to join my entire adulthood. I’ve attended a few meetings and I really like the other members. I feel like I could maybe belong.

I never had the privilege of being naturally athletic. I was shy and self-conscious as a child and I have always struggled with body image.  I tried softball once in middle school (turns out, it’s tough to have a softball career when you’re afraid of the ball.) I’m also hopelessly uncoordinated. But there was a period, eight glorious months sometime in my twenties, when I did run. It was the first time I ever felt physically capable and proud of my abilities. And then? I don’t know. It just dwindled. I’ve got a bunch of good excuses, but I’ll spare you. 

Still, I guess if there’s one thing I can say about me, it’s that I keep trying. And this time feels different.

Now that I’m in my thirties (early thirties), I’m starting to realize that time keeps steamrolling ahead. I keep asking myself lately, “If not now, when?” And I don’t have a satisfactory answer. That gets me moving. I’m also elated to discover that heading out for 30 precious minutes in the morning gets me away from my kids. I adore my children, aged three and four. But I have little patience for their “I want-I need-I don’t like that” morning chorus. I get to step out into a world of tweeting birds and 90s pop hits, leaving that chaos behind for my husband to sort out. It’s delightful even when running isn’t.

I’ve got some forces working against me; my pace is so slow I have to sprint to pass a walking elderly man. Before each run I feel fear, dread, and resistance. It’s uncomfortable to move this body of mine. But I don’t care.

Because the only cure for a bad case of the runs—is to run.

Meaghan O’Keeffe is a freelance writer. You can see her running/walking in Framingham, MA. If you blink, it’s ok because you won’t miss her. In fact, if you blink three times, you still won’t miss her.

In the four weeks since the Boston Marathon, we’ve come across many stories of our users who were there or deeply affected by the tragedies. We will continue to post these in the hopes of bringing others encouragement and healing. Please e-mail us if you would like to share yours.

By Kate Plourd

I stepped out for a run late a few Sunday mornings ago, not knowing where I was headed or where my feet would take me, just ecstatic that I am able to partake in my simple hobby. The southwest corridor bike path took me to the Back Bay and after a loop around Boston Common to the corner of Berkeley and Boylston streets.  It was that same intersection where four weeks ago in a medical tent at the Boston Marathon I learned that a pair of bombs had gone off less than 20 minutes after I crossed the finish line, killing three innocent spectators, injuring nearly 200 others and bruising the spirit of so many more.

In the past weeks, I’ve considered a lot of thoughts and ideas I could write about in regards to the attacks at the marathon. But as I continue to deal with my own emotions after being so close to this act of terror, the most relevant is that the skills and mindset of marathon running is what Bostonians need to heal from this tragedy.

It’s going to be hard and it’s going to take a long time, but the Boston community will finish this race and it will finish strong. As President Obama said in his speech-addressing all breeds of Bostonians, from the born and bred to the transplants like myself and the millions who have cycled through this shining city on a hill, we must push on and persevere. The marathon teaches us that. It teaches us, ”To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches.” I can’t find better words than the President’s to describe how Boston and the running community will heal from this tragedy. In fact, you can see the healing already beginning through the outpouring of support from all corners of our country and even the world.

While the heroic acts and flood of the support from complete strangers in the aftermath of the bombings is inspiring, as a marathon runner who has completed both the Boston Marathon and four other marathons, it’s in no way surprising. Boston is unique. Its unnavigable streets and the often-harsh demeanor of its residents may give off an unwelcoming impression. Marathon Monday is a different story. It’s when Boston welcomes people throughout the world with open arms.

The most disturbing part of the bombing story is that they targeted spectators. Innocent spectators whose only goal that day was to support others in their marathon quest. Not all runners like running races where spectators line the street. As a runner who does, as a runner who thrives off the energy from people who stand around for hours to tell complete strangers that they will succeed and can push through the pain, to show off a funny sign and to hand out oranges or ice, this attack feels even more cowardly. Spectators don’t cross a finish line of glory after a race, they don’t get a medal or a fancy race t-shirt or jacket. They don’t get their name printed in the paper or any of the accolades that come with completing a marathon. They are what help so many of us runners do what we crazily do.

They say running is a solitary sport, but running a marathon is anything but. And Boston Marathon spectators are truly one-of-a-kind. I would not have made it through last year’s 90-degree Boston Marathon if it weren’t for the spectators handing out ice, spraying hoses and cheering me to Copley Square. I wouldn’t have ran my second fastest marathon last month if it weren’t for that girl who cheered me through a rough moment in Washington Square when I thought I was going to be sick, or the thought that my friends and boyfriend were waiting at mile 25 to give me that one last push to finish strong, or the throngs of spectators (including a few close friends who were thankfully not injured) lining Boylston Streets to support us as we crossed the finish line.

Many runners–including myself–struggled with how to feel about their accomplishment of finishing or even running the miles they did on Marathon Monday. But if we give up that pride of accomplishment, we are not just letting terrorism win, but we are letting down my favorite part of marathons–and what helps me make it through 26.2 miles–the spectators. Instead, runners should share their stories and help those affected and those struggling with how to cope with the tragedy that they have the strength to make it through this ordeal. Because, as President Obama reminded us, this community is strong and when we feel like it’s just too hard “around the bend a stranger has a cup of water. Around the bend, somebody is there to boost our spirits. On that toughest mile, just when we think that we’ve hit a wall, someone will be there to cheer us on and pick us up if we fall.”

Proud to say that I finished the race.

This one is actually a still from a video, but it really shows how happy I am to have finished

Kate is a public relations professional for Solomon McCown & Co. in Boston and an avid marathon runner with six marathons under her belt. Her post originally appeared here.

By April Obey

There is  one piece of advice you won’t hear much after you go public with the exciting news that you’re going to be a mom. But listen to me now. Are you listening? If you’re planning on getting pregnant anytime soon, start running and using RunKeeper to keep your ass moving, today!

Luckily for me I had a short history of running before getting pregnant. Moving to Boston, meeting the love of my life, starting to run on the regular and using RunKeeper all happened in the spring of 2010.  I started running to impress Justin, the guy I had a crush on who turned into my husband. He introduced me to RunKeeper and without it, I definitely wouldn’t have turned into a runner.

Running, which is completely mental for me, quickly became a fun game of trying to beat my personal bests on RunKeeper. I was instantly addicted to improving my time and distance, mostly because it was made visible to my friends.   Having a place to track my distance, mileage, and overall pace each time I run kept me very aware of the shape my body was in. It also helped me focus on different parts of running, my overall pace for example, which I would have never known (or known about) if RK didn’t exist. 

I got pregnant shortly after getting married in 2012. In my first trimester of pregnancy, I felt like I had been hit by a truck on the daily. I was purely exhausted every single day, and one thing that kept me moving was running with RK. It kept me on track to run or walk at least 3 times a week. As my energy came back, I was getting bigger and my body really slowed down. But I never stopped moving no matter how exhausted and strained my body felt. I would use Runkeeper every time I walked the neighborhood. It gave me a sense of accomplishment since I didn’t have the sweat and racing heart rate to satisfy me.  I was walking a mile at a time with RunKeeper until about a week before I went into labor.

Thank god my body had been in such great shape before I delivered. By staying in shape during my pregnancy I had the endurance to withstand a 16 hour labor, followed by pushing for an hour and 15 minutes. Had I not been cognizant of the shape my body was in, I could have been a potential candidate for a c section.

As soon as I got the six-week clearance from the doctor, it was all systems go. I signed up for my second half marathon, bought a jogging stroller and started to mentally prepare myself to get back out there. I started out by walking a mile or two  a few times a week. I didn’t want to strain my body and I certainly didn’t have the energy to run yet. I just wanted to start incorporating fitness back into my daily routine. 

At about eight weeks I was ready to run and excited to get back on the wagon.  Though this time it was a lot different. I can’t just tie my shoes and go anymore. I now have to plan my runs out extensively so that Sienna is not screaming because she’s hungry or needs to be changed.  By using Runkeeper and knowing how long each run is going to take me, I can incorporate fitness back into my day more easily.

I recently subscribed to the RK Half Marathon training program by Jeff Gaudette. These training programs offer an easy way to mentally prepare myself to run each day and tell me exactly how many miles I need to accomplish.  I have so much to worry about now, as a new mom, RunKeeper makes it easy to get back into shape and shed those post baby pounds without a second thought.

By Karla Goodreau

I have always been into fitness in some way shape or form.  In the past I used to work out at gyms or simply just throw on a pair of running sneakers and go for a run in my neighborhood.  Then I had kids, and everything changed.  I would work out sporadically, but I wasn’t able to get into any consistent routine.  I would go for a run, but nothing regular enough to make it a part of my lifestyle.  I would always feel so down about it too, because I know how great you feel when you are regularly working out.  I would think of every excuse in the book to avoid working out: too tired, no sitter, I already showered for the day.  I realized that I needed to figure out what the formula was for me to get back out there and get healthy–and more importantly, how to stick with it. 

And then a local business emerged that offered classes in my neighborhood.  I signed up right away and absolutely loved it!  They offered a wide range of classes: Core Barre, Boxing, Tabata, a Circuit class, etc.  And better yet, they offered classes at times that I could make work!  As a working mother of three, if I don’t work out very early in the morning, then I know I won’t work out.  After almost two years of consistently working out with this wonderful group of people, I have realized what I need to keep up with a consistent workout routine:

1. Early workouts are a MUST (after work is dinner, homework, sports, and MADNESS!)
2. Changing up the workout routine helps keep it interesting.  I have been sticking with Boxing lately, but I just introduced a running class into the mix to keep me engaged.
3. I need to work out in groups (or have a workout buddy).  I have to be held accountable or I will not show up!!  If I am solo, then I will talk myself into sleeping an extra hour.  This includes running, which is funny because 10 years ago, I never liked running with others.  Now I have to!
4. Set attainable goals that will ensure that you keep up the routine: sign up for a 5K, set a distance goal, set a weight goal, etc.
5. Oh, and working at a company filled with marathoners, triathletes and fitness enthusiasts helps to keep me motivated as well :)

To sum up, everyone is busy in this day and age.  Whether it is kids, school, a strenuous job, family obligations, we all have too much going on.  It is easy to make excuses and be sedentary.  But if you can figure out what makes you tick, you may have just cracked the code to staying fit and being healthy for the long haul!

 Karla is database architect at RunKeeper and a mother of three. 

There are more than 100 apps and devices that connect with RunKeeper, and that means lots of experts on all areas of health!  We wanted to start getting tips from the best of them, so we asked the folks at GymHero to talk to us about strength training and running. Enjoy! 

By Jannik Freimuth

I’m sure everyone of you has heard something like: “Running and strength training go together like bacon and ice cream“ and ‘’Runners should stay far away from every gym!’’ How about if I tell you that, for most of you, strength training is the perfect supplement to take your running to the next level? I should probably note that the following tips are not right for marathon or high endurance folks, but for regular runners.

Running and strength training can complement one another and help you unlock your full potential. The good news: you don’t need a gym membership. All the weight you’re going to need is supplied by your own body and things you can find in many parks.

Why weight training is good for runners

The muscle support. Progressing on your running activities can mean different things. This could be going faster or for longer distances. No matter what your goal is, challenging your body with a greater burden will put it under much more stress than before. For example, as you run faster, the ground contact of your feet will become shorter but at the same time more intense. Consequently your body has to provide more energy in a shorter time. And your body will need a greater deal of muscle work to support your movements. Trying to achieve that just by exercising your muscles through running won‘t get the job done. The same applies to longer distance runs. Insufficiently trained muscles won’t be able to support your body for the entire activity time.

Injury prevention. A well-trained body is usually a balanced body. Everything in your body is connected, therefore every muscle has its antagonist. Imbalances result in a wrong movement, which, over time, can lead to injury. With strength training those malpositions can be resolved and you are unlikely to risk injury. Several studies have proven that the right exercises can lower the probability of injury by a multiple.

A motivational push. Don’t underestimate this one! Challenging your body with strength training can boost your ego big time. No matter if you’re up to a short sprint or running up a hill. You know you can do it and nobody can stop you!

What part of your body to focus on

One thing is for sure: well trained core muscles are the key to your success. When running, a lot of the power to push you of the ground also comes from the hips and butt. Including those body parts into your strength training routine will help you stabilize your upper body, which is vital for the correct movements of your legs. In addition, add some leg training plus one or two exercises for the upper body to round up your workout.

I think bodyweight exercises are very effective and convenient, especially to support my runs. Why? Well: you can do them almost anywhere; instead of isolating a certain muscle they combine a lot of different body parts; and many different variation seem to make them different and exciting each time.

Here are some of my favorite strength exercises

1. Pull-ups: this classic exercise works your back, shoulders and arms. Just make sure not to swing! If you can’t do pull-ups on your own, ask for support by a friend.

2. Push-ups: besides strengthening the chest, push-ups are great for stabilizing your entire body. Make sure to keep your butt up and your core tight!

3. Crunches: so many different ways to do them, perfect for your abs. Do them on a bench, on the ground, or even lifting up your legs pointing towards the sky while hanging on a pull-up bar or tree.

4. Burpees: this ultimate exercise works your entire body but watch out, they can get challenging after a few repetitions.

5. Box Jumps: great to train the overall coordination of your lower and upper body. For this exercise you can jump on almost anything that is not slippery. Try to start the jump with an explosive movement.

6. Squats: for sure one of the best exercises to work most of your leg muscles. Squats can be done with a barbell, or if you’re in a park or forest, grab the next big branch (or little log!) and put it on your shoulders.

And no gym is needed for these! Do pull ups on playgrounds, jump on trash cans to train your legs, grab a trunk of a tree for bicep curls and do crunches on a bench. There is nothing you can‘t do, go crazy! Make this part of a small run and set up your own strength training circuit. You’ll be surprised how much fun this can be!

Tracking your strength training activities

We know you like tracking your runs, but you can also use Runkeeper.com to keep tabs on your lifting sessions. Gym Hero is an awesome iPhone app that helps you track your individual freestyle workouts. Are the “trash can box jump” and “park bench curls” part of your routine? No problem, Gym Hero has you covered. You can tailor it to fit your to workout routines, exercises, weights and repetitions. We focus on fast and simple tracking so you can fully concentrate on your activities. There are also some graphs and other cool statistics to follow your improvements over time. Did I mention it integrates nicely with RunKeeper, AND it’s free?

Did this get you excited? Let‘s start your first workout soon, and let us and the Runkeeper team know how you lift and run!

Jannik is the co-founder of Big Mike Alright, the company behind the Gym Hero app

By Erin Glabets

Last year I was “training” for my fourth half marathon. By training I mean I was running on the treadmill a couple miles a couple times a week and getting outside in those super warm March days. A few weeks before my race I realized I had barely run more than 5 miles in one stretch. Oops. I scrambled to get in an 8 and 10 miler the final week before race day and kicked myself for being so careless.

I finished just fine, but it all felt like a fluke and like I didn’t really earn my time. For this year’s half marathon (the Blackstone Valley Half Marathon in Rhode Island), I want to go in prepared. Better yet, I want to finally beat the personal best I’ve held for the nearly four years since my first half marathon.  (I still can’t seem to understand why my first is my best. Beginner’s luck? Does anyone else have this problem?)

To do this, I have been following a plan. And you know what the best part of the plan is for me? The happy green check marks that tell me I’ve completed a run and a job well done, and those red sad faces that say the opposite. I kid you not.

It’s brilliant for the approval junkie in me.

I don’t follow the plan perfectly; I switch Wednesday runs to Saturdays if that works better; swap interval workouts for easy runs if I’m feeling tired, and shave miles off of runs on busy days and add them to days when I’m feeling great and have all day to get out there.

Many people don’t want to follow training plans because they think they are so rigid they won’t be able to fit them into their lives. But I’ve found that trying to fit a square training plan peg into the round hole that is my schedule is still better than no plan.

For previous half marathons, I’ve had a general idea in my head of what I need to be running each week, but the lack of tracking and accountability made it really hard to stick to that plan. I would skip a run on a “busy day” and tell myself I’d make it up next time. That usually didn’t happen. This time around, seeing the long list of upcoming workouts and the red faces glaring at me when I missed really put on the pressure. I planned accordingly for busy weeks and bad weather, and kept my skipping to a minimum.

This Sunday is my half marathon. Going into it,  I’ve run about 220 miles over the last few months, and have gotten in a 12.2 mile run, about three 10 mile runs, a few 9’s, and many handfuls of 5+ distances. (Coach Deibler has been pushing me HARD!) Maybe not the perfect half marathon training regimen, but last year I tried to cram these long distances into the final WEEK before the race.

I’m really hoping I beat that PR this Sunday, but even if I don’t, at least I know I did (almost) everything I could. Maybe next race I’ll actually do the training runs on the correct days. Wish me luck!

What about you? What helps you stick to training? Have you ever scrambled at the last minute like me?

 Erin is the content manager at RunKeeper 

Ever had a knee injury? It stinks. It totally throws you off your running game and probably the overall daily routine, too.

Well, how about a triple knee injury? Wait, what? Is that even humanly possible?

Karen Calabrese, a high school Integrated Earth Systems teacher from Middletown, New Jersey, got hit with this unfortunate trifecta last fall. Patella tendinitis, a sprained ACL and a Grade 2 meniscus tear. For those counting at home, a Grade 3 tear requires surgery.

Think about that for a second. With that much structural damage to one leg, you’re probably thinking, “when does the cast come off?”

Quite the opposite. In fact, she never missed a beat.

After meeting with an orthopedic, Karen learned how important strength training was to her recovery, especially hip strengthening. 

“I didn’t know enough beforehand,” said the former college swimmer. Armed with support from the ortho and a trusty knee brace, Karen re-dedicated herself to running in 2013.

While it’s been a long road to recovery, Karen did something during the month of March that she has never done before. Complete a 10 mile run!

“I just kept going. It’s the longest I’ve run in my life” are pretty special words and definitely ones Karen cherishes.

She’s not afraid to admit the scoop of jelly beans pre-run (it was Easter Sunday) was just what those depleted glucose levels needed the last few miles! 

But, can we really call it a comeback when she’s been smashing personal bests ever since the triple knee whammy?

Karen might beg to differ. To get the inside scoop, we spoke with her last week to get those Secrets to Success for anyone looking to accomplish a big fitness goal: 

1. Change your diet. Through experimentation, she learned that dairy and fruit 24 hours before a long run would cause stomach issues. Learn what foods work and stick with them.

2. Enough protein will help with muscle recovery. She didn’t have protein the day we spoke and said her legs were feeling really sore.

3. Add sprints to your runs - short and long - to add some variety. In good RunKeeper fashion, Karen uses an audio cue every 1/4 mile to help with her overall mile pace.

4. Cross-training is super important. Hit the elliptical to alleviate impact. Hop on the stairmaster to strengthen the quads, while softening the blow.

5. Don’t make goals that are unreachable. Putting on her teacher hat, “once you make that smaller, more attainable goal, you can always set a higher goal.”

Certainly not resting on her laurels, Karen had kind of a big day on April 21st. Yep, the CGI Racing Unite Half Marathon. Her first one ever.

As all of us runners have told ourselves, and Karen no different, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.”

We can Karen. Great job with the 10 miler and in New Brunswick!

Jason is founder and CEO of RunKeeper. He ran the Boston Marathon last Monday. 

By Jason Jacobs

I wasn’t planning on running the Boston Marathon this year. As the CEO of a scaling startup and the father of a one-year old son, I am lucky I have time to eat lunch every day, let alone log the miles required to train properly for a marathon.  But when a number opened up and I was invited to run on behalf of Camp Interactive, I couldn’t resist.  I was born and raised in Boston and grew up watching the Boston Marathon every year with my family, and this race has always had a special place in my heart.

Training was grueling, to say the least.  My wife Ali works full-time, and often has morning events where she has to be out the door very early.  This meant that, some days, I would be banging out long runs and needed to be home by 6:30am, which meant getting up at 4:30am or earlier.  Plus, my long runs fall on Sundays, and I had a streak this winter where 3 long runs in a row all occurred during major blizzards. 

The first half of my training plan went OK, but the wheels started coming off the car on the second half.  I was under-rested, under-nourished, over-caffeinated, and emotionally and physically drained.  I toughed it out though, and while I didn’t go into the race in tip-top physical shape, at least I went in without any nagging physical injuries like in previous years.

I started out the race on fire.  During my training runs I trained at a pace just under 9 minute miles, but I did the first half of the race at a sub-7 minute mile pace.   WAY too fast to start out, which I knew at the time, but for some reason I didn’t care.  During the first part of the race I was tweeting, taking photos, texting my wife Ali, and generally having fun.  At around mile 13 or mile 14, I started getting tired (shocking, I know).  I slowed the pace to 8-minute miles for the next several miles, which is probably where I should have been from the beginning.  By mile 18 or 19, I was doing a mix of walking/running for the rest of the race.

I felt like crap for these last several miles. I was pissed at myself for not doing the proper training.  I was pissed at myself for going out of the gates WAY too fast, and I felt like I didn’t deserve all of the cheers of the incredible fans on the sidelines.  I wanted so badly to pick up the pace and truck it out, but I was having real trouble finding the internal strength to do so.  My legs had nothing left in them. 

I knew the RunKeeper team was watching from Kenmore Square, so I made sure to gear up and be in full running stride as I went past them, and kept running as I headed into the final mile of the race.  Ali texted a pic of her and my son at the finish line, and asked me to text when I was getting close.  I texted about two blocks before I hit Boylston St to let her know to expect me at the finish line very soon.  I then turned down Hereford and made the final turn onto Boylston to head towards the finish line.

As I ran down Boylston St, I got about two blocks when I saw the first explosion at the finish line.  I heard the police office in front of me ask another officer what that was, which I knew wasn’t a good sign.  About 15 seconds later the second bomb went off, this one only about half a block away from where I was standing.  At this point, everyone panicked, and it started to sink in what was actually happening here. 

I had no idea if my wife and son at the finish line were OK.  I also had no idea if those were the only two bombs, or if several more were going to go off soon after.  I didn’t know how many people were injured, the severity of their injuries, I just knew that everyone needed to get out of the area as soon as humanly possible.  At this point, I was two to three blocks from the finish line, but the police officers were not letting anyone move forward.  I was right next to the Prudential Mall, so I figured I’d head through the mall to try to get closer to the finish line and reunited with my wife and son. 

I staggered through the mall, and along the way stopped at our nearby apartment to see if my wife and son were waiting for me in the lobby.  They were not.  Meanwhile, I kept trying Ali’s cell incessantly, but every call went to voicemail.  Finally, the phone rang and it was her calling—she was OK.  She and her friends had run to an apartment a mile or so away.  I started crying immediately, so thankful and relieved that they were OK.  I staggered the mile walk to her friend’s apartment building, the whole time reflecting on the gravity of what had just occurred.

I got there and we hung there for several hours, fielding calls from tons of friends and loved ones, and checking on others who we had not heard from yet that were at the race.  Meanwhile, our apartment building was evacuated, so my parents came to get us and we spent the night with them. 

Now, a week later, our apartment building is still a crime scene.  Boylston St is like a movie set—still set up exactly how it was on race day.  The wounds are still fresh, and we’ve found it difficult to move on with daily life.  This race that I grew up loving turned into a horrific event, and our neighborhood and home are right in the epicenter of where it all went down.  I am very thankful to be alive and that my family is safe, but at the same time, can’t help but feel like things are forever different now.

Before the bombs went off, I was a broken man—mentally and physically exhausted.  Now I am a broken man that is incredibly lucky to have his family in one piece.  We also had several close calls on the RunKeeper team, and thankfully, everyone is OK.  I am going to take some time off from running and recharge the batteries.  I hope I can find it in me to run Boston next year, but it is hard for me to even think about at the moment.

If you have thoughts and stories to share on how you are processing through this tragedy, feel free to share them with us, in the comments below, or via e-mail.