I know most people think they'd never hear me say these words, but when I woke up Sunday morning, I really didn't feel like going for a run. I was tired, it was cold and windy, and I was seriously lacking motivation.
Luckily I had plans to meet my friends to run and go for coffee afterward, so I bundled up and headed out.
And of course once I started running, I felt a hundred times better, and was so glad I didn't blow it off. We ran and talked, and kept to a nice easy pace like I had wanted to, and went for a post-run coffee and talked some more, and it was the perfect way to start my day.
As we ran, I debated whether or not I was going to do the 5K on the beach with Dante as I had been planning. It was so windy and cold, and I knew it would be even windier (and colder) on the beach. I didn't want the less than ideal conditions to make it a miserable experience for him.
But he's a tough little kid, and ultimately I felt like he'd be fine, so I decided to go for it.
I forgot to wear my Garmin, and the whole race is run on the beach (you go back and forth a couple of times), so I have no idea what our mile splits were, and I don't really care. I'm pretty sure we made it just about an entire mile without him having to stop, but then we stopped and walked a bunch of times during the final 2 miles.
I let him call the shots, as I've done in the other races we've run together. We had some laughs about how crazy the wind was, especially when we were running into it. And we both commented on how cool the beach looks in the winter - such a different feel to it.
Without a watch, I really had no idea how long it was taking us, but I had guessed we'd finish in around 40 minutes. So when we got within sight of the clock and I saw that it was just under 37 minutes, I yelled at him to "Go, go, go!!! This is going to be your fastest 5K EVER!"
And he listened. He sprinted into the finish in 37:04 - and then promptly had to sit down on the sand to catch his breath. I told him that's how you're supposed to feel at the end of a race :-)
This is a very, very small race (less than 50 finishers), so there wasn't a lot of fanfare afterward, but we went inside and he enjoyed his post-race clam chowder, donuts, and hot chocolate, and we stayed for the awards, too. Since it's such an incredibly small race, my 37-minute finish actually put me 2nd in my age group - I don't think that would happen at ANY other 5K ever.
It was a fun event for us, though, and I'm so glad we did it. I am honestly every bit as proud of his PR as I've ever been of one of my own. And of course now that he's seen that if he keeps up with this, he can get better at it, he's already looking forward to his next race - and now Gabe wants to do one, too.
I remember a few years ago thinking about how awesome it would be when my kids were old enough to run with me. And now that they are - it's even better than I imagined it would be.
Jingle Bell 5K on the beach -
37:04, 11:57 pace, 2-minute PR
I'm not going to be chasing a PR of my own this weekend, but I am looking forward to getting out and running my own 10K race in Newport, and hope to have a fun race and a decent finish time.
Still feeling somewhat lost and aimless post-marathon, but trying to settle in and get used to running just because. Because it makes me happy, because it brings me peace, because it clears my head, because it feeds my soul, because it lifts my spirits. Because right now, that's what I need.
So glad you and Dante had a great race ..... wonderful that the boys take such an interest in your running .... would be awesome if Gabe raced also !
Posted by: Mom and Dad | December 09, 2014 at 08:07 PM