"What Started Out as Such A Beautiful Day..."

The news came quickly and out of nowhere. 

Two explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Dozens of people were hurt. Some had lost limbs. 

Like everyone else, I watched in horror as the events unfolded on Monday. The news came first over social media, then in photos, then video. 

For me, it hit home. I grew up in Newton, a suburb of Boston. I went to college nearby, attended graduate school in the city and lived in the area for many years. One year I lived along the race route about five blocks from the finish line and hosted a marathon party. We cheered on the runners from the fire escape. 

My childhood friend Dana Vecchione spent Monday at a friend's party at Mile 18, at the beginning of infamous "Heartbreak Hill" in Newton. She and her sister kept an eye out for their friend- and Dana's former orthodontist- who runs in the marathon every year. They tracked his number online, but somehow missed him in person. 

Hours later, Dana saw her doctor running- just not in the way she expected. Sitting at home, watching television, she saw a video replay of the explosions.  

"There was Dr. (last name withheld), right on TV," Dana said. "As the first bomb detonated, it was right behind him and across the street to his left. He shook and then looked back and kept running, but then the explosion happened ahead of him...and you couldn't see what happened after that." 

What Dana could see was lots of blood along the side of the road where her doctor had been running moments earlier, across from the bleachers at the finish line. She burst into tears. 

It had started as such a beautiful day, Dana said.

Patriots' Day is a Massachusetts holiday that celebrates the beginning of the American Revolution. Most people have the day off work. If you live in or around Boston, you're typically either running the marathon or watching it.

I was in Massachusetts early Monday, leaving early to drive back to Princeton after a long weekend. At 7 a.m., the highway was almost deserted. I didn't realize it was Patriots; Day until I heard a heard a report on the radio that some 27,000 runners were expected at the marathon starting line in Hopkinton, Mass.

I was back in Princeton and writing an article when a friend posted a link on Facebook about an explosion at the marathon finish line. I immediately tried to logon to www.boston.com, but couldn't get through.

The last time that happened was on Sept. 11, 2001.

Dana said as soon as she saw news about the explosion and heard the deafening sirens of emergency vehicles heading downtown, she thought it might be some kind of terrorist attack, although admits she isn't on edge as much these days as she was once was. 

"It'll be 12 years in September, so you think about it when you're in big crowds, but not today. I think about it more when I'm in New York City or at the Garden watching the game."

Dana sent her doctor a message on Facebook, but hadn't heard back by the time I talked to her. She's hoping for the best. 

Boston area residents were advised to go home and stay away from crowds. Three people were dead- several media outlets reported that one of the dead was a young child. More than 100 people were hurt in the blasts and some local hospitals were on lockdown. A trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital told reporters that "several" people had to have limbs amputated, The Boston Globe reported.

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke during a press conference from the White House on Monday night. He said those who planted the explosives will face the “full weight of justice.”

“We still do not know who did this or why," Obama said. "People shouldn’t jump to conclusions until we have all the facts… We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable.”