Black Ribbons in London.

Sunday run with Leroy and Strelka 10.2 km - 63.36 min, cool and sunny, a perfect running day.

Watched London marathon before going for a run. 

What a day of drama! A horrible crash when leading wheelchair competitors crashed into elite women at a water station. The 2010 wheelchair winnge Josh Cassidy dropped out with the wheels of his chariot broken and the Olympic champion Tiki Gelana struggled on to finish well behind the leading group which included two Kenyans and a Japanese in the third place. And an absolute drama in men's race, the leader changing three or four times on the last miles with the brilliant attack on the final mile by Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede winning in 2 hours 6 minutes. Marathon at its best.

At the start of the mass run there was a 30-second silence in solidarity with the people of Boston. Most runners wore little black ribbons and there were 'We are with you, Boston' posters everywhere along the route. 

See the BBC picture gallery of the marathon here. 

The black ribbon here is designed by me in Apple's iWork Pages. Read how to make it on my computer blog I Work in Pages. 

Good Luck, London!

Strelka.

Today's run with Leroy and Strelka the Golden: 10.03 km - 60.35 min, sunny, +10ºC.

Beautiful day. Wish good luck to all who run tomorrow's London Marathon.

As the second suspect in Boston bombings is apprehended, I recommend this little item on how K-9 Comfort Dogs help the victims of the bombings to recover. 

If you are about to choose the breed for running or companionship, note that the team there only uses Golden Retrievers, like my Strelka, the soppiest, friendliest, fluffiest dog ever. 

Here's a quote by Tim Hertzner, who runs K-9 Comfort Dogs, which has teams in seven US states with  67 dogs, all Golden Retrievers:

"After a tragic event, I’ve noticed people often first open up and talk with the dog about what happened - before talking to other people. They’re really big furry counsellors: they have a sixth sense of empathy and can sense sorrow. Playing with a dog also gives people a much-needed moment of diversion.

 

We can’t keep track of how many people have been affected by the dogs, but in Boston, we are talking thousands. When I was out with some of the dogs on a hospital visit Thursday, a woman who had just undergone surgery on her leg got out of her bed and took her first step in order to play with one of the dogs".