Artcorner » . The conditions werent a big deal for me today. It

BOSTON -- With security tight along the 26.2-mile route, tens of thousands of runners set out from the starting line at the Boston Marathon on Monday in a "Boston Strong" show of resilience a year after the deadly bombing. "I showed up, Im back, and I am going to finish what I didnt finish last year," said Mary Cunningham, 50, of St. Petersburg, Fla., who was stopped a mile short of the finish line by the explosions last year. The two pressure-cooker bombs that went off near the finish line killed three people and wounded more than 260. Police were deployed in force along the course, with helicopters circling above and bomb-sniffing dogs checking through trash cans. Officers were posted on roofs. Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray said it had been a long and difficult year. "Were taking back our race," he said. "Were taking back the finish line." A total of 35,755 athletes were registered to run -- the second-largest field in its history, with many coming to show support for the event and the city that was traumatized by the attack on its signature sporting event. "I cant imagine the number of emotions that are going to be there," said Katie ODonnell, who was stopped less than a mile from the end last year. "I think Im going to start crying at the starting line, and Im not sure Ill stop until I cross the finish line." Buses bearing the message "Boston Strong" dropped off runners at the starting line in the town of Hopkinton. A banner on one building read: "You are Boston Strong. You Earned This." The most obvious change for the 118th running of the worlds oldest annual marathon was the heavy security. Nevertheless, many found the atmosphere to be calm and friendly. "I think everybody is being very pleasant," said Jean Bertschman, a Hopkinton resident who comes to watch the start of the marathon most years and had never seen anything close to this level of security. Spectators went through tight security checkpoints before being allowed near Hopkinton Common. Runners had to use clear plastic bags for their belongings, and fans hoping to watch near the finish line were encouraged to leave strollers and backpacks behind. More than 100 cameras were installed along the route in Boston, and race organizers said 50 or so observation points would be set up around the finish line to monitor the crowd. Runner Scott Weisberg, 44, from Birmingham, Ala., said he had trouble sleeping the night before. "With everything that happened last year, I cant stop worrying about it happening again. I know the chances are slim to none, but I cant help having a nervous pit in my stomach," Weisberg said. Race organizers expanded the field from its recent cap of 27,000 to make room for more than 5,000 runners who were still on the course last year at the time of the explosions, for friends and relatives of the victims, and for those who made the case that they were "profoundly impacted" by the attack. Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Kenyas Rita Jeptoo, who crossed the finish line on Boylston Street about three hours before the explosions, returned to defend their championships. Desisa came to Boston last fall to donate his first-place medal to the city as a gesture of support. Jeptoo, who also won the race in 2006, said she is hoping for a third victory -- and one she can enjoy. "It was very difficult to be happy. People were injured and children died," she said of last years marathon. "If Im going to win again, I hope I can be happier and to show people, like I was supposed to last year." Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, is awaiting trial in the April 15, 2013, attack and could get the death penalty. Prosecutors said he and his older brother -- ethnic Chechens who came to the U.S. from Russia more than a decade ago -- carried out the attack in retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim lands. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in a shootout with police days after the bombings. Kenny Golladay Womens Jersey .That is precisely what they got Sunday.The Ravens trailed at halftime and never built a comfortable lead against lowly Jacksonville, yet did just enough to squeeze out a 20-12 win to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Calvin Johnson Womens Jersey . There was little fanfare, though, when the Yankees captain was taken out of his final regular-season Subway Series game in the eighth inning. Jeter watched the last four outs from the bench, pulled off the field during a double switch Thursday night as the Yankees held off the Mets 1-0. http://www.shopdetroitlionsnfl.com/lions-t-j-hockenson-black-jersey/ . Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th. T.J. Hockenson Lions Jersey . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing. Jahlani Tavai Womens Jersey .com) - There may be a debate in Philadelphia about who should be the starting quarterback of the Eagles.MINNEAPOLIS - What started as a bad day for the Toronto Blue Jays turned into a record-breaking disaster by nights end. Minnesota scored three straight runs on wild pitches by the Torontos Sergio Santos in the eighth inning, when the Twins walked eight times off three relievers in rallying for a 9-5 victory and a sweep of Thursdays day-night doubleheader. R.A. Dickey (1-3) allowed five runs as Minnesota won the opener 7-0. The Twins trailed 5-1 in the fifth of the night game before the Blue Jays pitching staff fell apart. Steve Delabar walked two batters starting the six-run eighth, setting up Santos (0-1) for trouble as manager John Gibbons called for his closer early. Santos walked all three batters he faced, loading the bases with one out when he put on pinch-hitter Trevor Plouffe. The Twins cut the lead to 5-4 when Josmil Pinto came home on a wild pitch. "Im obviously one of the main guys to blame there. I put us in a bad situation," Delabar said. "That was brutal." The collapse by the Blue Jays bullpen only got worse. Ball four by Santos to pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki was wild, too, allowing Chris Herrmann to score and tie the game. Santos threw another wild pitch to Brian Dozier, and pinch-runner Pedro Florimon raced home for the lead. J.A. Happ relieved Santos, who took his first blown save in five chances this year. Happ walked two more and then Jason Kubel broke open the game with a two-run single, the only hit of the inning. Santos, who has been handling the ninth-inning role while Casey Janssen is on the disabled list with a strained back, threw only four strikes in 16 pitches. "Coming into that situation, I had to be perfect," Santos said. "Looking back on it now, I felt like I was trying to be too perfect there. Tough, obviously. When you see the position guys go out and play in this cold weather, so many innings, its just a long day." The eight walks allowed is a team record, breaking the previous mark of seven free passes issued in the first inning on June 21, 1994, against Boston. The previous time a team walked eight times in one inning was April 19, 1996, when Texas did so against Baltimore. The record of 11 was set by the Washington Senatorss against the New York Yankees on Sept.dddddddddddd11, 1949. Casey Fien (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory. Jose Bautista took over the AL lead with his sixth homer, a solo shot in the fifth inning. Bautista, who also walked and scored in the first, has gone deep 11 times in 14 games at the ballpark the Twins opened in 2010. Thats the same number of homers Joe Mauer has here in 256 games. Toronto starter Dustin McGowan failed to finish the fifth. But all that was forgotten with the wildness that came later in the game. Gibbons said hes never seen anything like what unfolded in the eighth. "We couldnt throw strikes. We didnt pitch good all series," he said. "Its cold, all right. Its cold for both sides. If youre ever going to get to September or October in the playoffs, its going to be cold." Kyle Gibson (3-0) beat the Blue Jays in the first game, the coldest start, 31 degrees, for an outdoor game in Twins history. The young righty breezed through a Toronto lineup that totalled 20 runs in the previous two games. The veteran Dickey didnt handle the cold nearly as well. "Im traditionally a slow starter so hopefully I can get on track next time. The conditions werent a big deal for me today. It wasnt ideal, but it wasnt something where I was coming in trying to soak my fingers in warm water to keep them warm. I just didnt execute when I needed to make a big pitch, and they put good swings on it," said Dickey, whos ERA rose to 6.26. Despite this dud, Dickey has pitched six-plus innings in two of his four starts. After wintry weather forced postponement of Wednesdays game, workers scrambled all morning to melt snow and ice from the seating areas, and the grounds crew dried the warning track. It would have been better for the Blue Jays if the game was snowed out again. "Im sure once we get on the plane well talk about it a little bit," Santos said. "But once we land in Cleveland, its all Cleveland." NOTES: Dickey is 1-3 with a 6.58 ERA in six career starts against the Twins. ... For the first time in 15 games this season, Blue Jays LF Melky Cabrera failed to get a hit. ... Bautista is hitting .336 with 20 home runs in 39 career games against the Twins. ' ' '