9-11 Morning Run

Last night I decided that I will be going for a run in the morning.  It was not until I got up that I decided on this anniversary of 9-11, that my run should be 9.11 miles.

A cool morning with blue sky, and time to reflect on the past 11 years.  The kids were very young, and a chill ran down my spine when I started to think back to that morning.

We were all confused as to what was happening at first.  Being at Reuters on that morning, most of readying for US Market Open of the NYSE, we had the big screens in the network operations center tuned in to CNBC.  As the horror unfolded, none of knew at that time that our lives, and the world we live in would never be the same.

This day in history "At 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767--United Airlines Flight 175--appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center, and sliced into the south tower at about the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. America was under attack."

My children at the time 2,5,and 8 years old had never had to deal with war and death, let alone an attack on America.  An assault on our freedom.  The weeks, months, and years that passed had reminders that our lives would change.  Our children learned that our freedom, liberties and our way of life would not be as care free.  From homeland security, to tightened security at airports, to the constant reminders of what happened. Innocence erased.

Thankfully, we have never had a repeat of the attack, and we will always have to keep our guard up.  Will we ever travel to an international destination as a family ?

My run thru Holbrook and into Sayville and back again gave me time to reflect on the past 11 years.  One thing I can tell you for sure is, that the time seems to have gone by too fast.  We have had lots of great times, and now that the boys are all teenagers, the seasons seem to change even quicker.

Luke made the Middle School Soccer team.  Kyle went to his HS Soccer Dinner.  Gavin is studying in college and getting ready for a cross country run this weekend.  I will travel 250 miles to watch a 30 minute race and have lunch with Gavin, while Sue attends Kyle's first HS league game of the season.  Luke starts practice (everyday after school).  We can't wait till his first game.

I stop my run shortly after the 9 mile mark, hoping that I hit 9.11 miles right on the nose.  The tracking software on my iPhone a little bit different than my Garmin watch.  Just as we are 11 years past 9-11...I went slightly past the 9.11 mile mark.  9.13 miles.  An extra 0.02 miles in the blink of an eye.

Photo of the day "9-11 Morning Run"

P.S. On track to run a half marathon soon.  9 miles was not too hard to do.  Although, after sitting at my desk this morning  for a couple of hours and then getting up to grab some lunch, my muscles and bones reminded me that I am getting older.....