Running after the tragedy

My family and I love the Jordan River Parkway.
We run, bike, walk and play there so often, we recognize the regulars. I know the distance between parks by heart and where we can get water or use the restroom. I love it most early in the morning, just before sunset or on a mildly stormy day. Fewer people along the route make me feel like the trail belongs to me.
When I heard that a young woman was stabbed to death on the Parkway, I was devastated. I was terribly sad for her family and terrified that it happened in a place we spend so much time.
Most alarming is the fact that two of the three attackers are still at large. I didn’t run on the Parkway when I planned to last week, opting instead to run in my neighborhood. I admit I was afraid.
I woke up today, Memorial Day, and decided to run on the Parkway. I wanted to prove – mostly to myself – that the trail doesn’t belong to the bad guys. It belongs to those of us who love it. It belongs to those of us who clean up after our dogs – and often after the dogs of other people.
It belongs to those of us who wave hello to strangers and offer water to those who didn’t know the fountains are turned off in the winter.
I ran along the Parkway today and it was over run with families. They were mostly on bikes, but there were some joggers in the mix.
I run with my dog and I sometimes have trouble getting her to focus on running at my pace if there are a lot of other dogs running around. Today I was grateful for every distraction, grateful for every other runner, bicyclist and walker on the trail.
This is our trail and no drug dealer will take it from us.