There are few things I talk about in this world as much as I talk about film and television. However, if there had to be a second place, it would go to running. In March of 2013, I ran my first 5k and decided that my next conquest would be working my way to a full marathon. One month later on April 15, 2013, two homemade bombs were detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

That day Jeff Bauman was there cheering on his girlfriend, Erin Hurley, and lost both of his legs. The photo of him being rushed to an ambulance became the iconic image of the bombing, as he went on to provide information that helped authorities apprehend one of the attackers.

Every time I run a major race there’s a shiver of fear, and even though security at races has heightened exponentially since, I think there always will be. Until now I’ve shied away from retellings of that day because of the alarm it raises in me, and Stronger is the first Boston Marathon film I’ve been able to bring myself to watch.

But this is not a runner’s story. Jeff was just an everyday guy there to cheer his girlfriend on. He is flawed, selfish, imperfect, and human. Playing a living subject can easily lead a performance into caricature territory. What brought depth to Gyllenhaal’s performance is his attention to nuance and his dedication to capturing the essence of Jeff.

Stronger doesn’t shy away from diving into the raw and painful way Jeff handles the aftermath of rebuilding his life. It’s understandable because he didn’t ask to be thrust into the public eye or be made a symbol. But as Erin Hurley, played by the wonderful Tatiana Maslany, said best in the film: he doesn’t realize how many people shifted their lives to orbit him.

In the end, Jeff Bauman and the events of the Boston Marathon taught me that you can’t let fear and terror stop you from living your life. Bad things happen all the time, whether they’re extreme circumstances like at the race that fateful day or ambling down the street. It’s how we deal with these events as individuals and communities that is the story worth telling.

So I continue to run bigger and bigger races. I’ll be on the course with KFOG for Bridge to Bridge on October 1 (come say hi!) and I’ll be running my 6th marathon on October 8 in Chicago.