Personal best: accident of time helps Boston runner survive

While many runners commit, sacrifice and train for years to earn the monikers of "Boston Marathon qualifier" and "Boston Marathon finisher", I will now always be first and foremost, a Boston Marathon 2013 survivor, one who can still live to run another day.

As the dust settled over the city, with the shelter-in-place order lifted following the day-long manhunt for the bombers and the streets deemed safe to return, a sign of normalcy slowly returned to my beloved hometown. I feel blessed to have narrowly escaped the chaos at the finish line and be able to share my story of triumph before the senseless tragedy.

Having raced constantly against the clock for months to get here, this day was all about "living" in these moments and celebrating with the 500,000 people who would line the streets of Boston. The city had proudly graced me with "rock star" status, jumping me to the front of the line wherever I went and presenting me with an honorary membership at a local health club.

Being a Boston Marathon Qualifier is a big deal. Now fully indoctrinated into this special family, I was ready for the 42.2-kilometre victory lap through the storied streets of Boston, retracing the footsteps of the world's greatest runners.

I soaked it all in, stopping intermittently along the course for the customary high-fives, photos, hugs and even a few memorable kisses from the brainy Wellesley College girls.

As billed, it was a street party like no other.

As the miles seemed to slowly drift away, I too slowed down to desperately try to hold on to any last moments of this incredible journey. Flashbacks of my training, the setbacks and new relationships that brought me here, all came flooding in.