It was 23 degrees with winds about 10-15 knots. My son Ty and I were downtown St Louis for the Hot Chocolate 5K. It seemed like such a good idea two months ago when he talked me into running it with him! This morning, however, I wondered what I was thinking back in October when I said yes. Idiot! As we walked towards the start we chatted about the mug of hot chocolate promised us at the end of the race. Ty looked up at me and said "it better be big enough to swim laps in". The laughter was a momentary relief from the cold.
We made it to the start and hopped in our corral with about 15 minutes to spare. We talked about sticking together and Ty assured me he would run the entire race with me. I was not convinced. I wasn't sure I could keep up with him given my back issues and having run just twice since October. I knew I had my hands full. The race started and it didn't take long to realize I was right. I tried every trick I know to slow the kid down but I just couldn't do it. He knew what I was up to and wasn't happy about it. As we passed the first mile marker I could tell the boy was frustrated. It was then he made a disparaging remark about the pace and disappeared into the crowd. There wasn't a darn thing I could do but shake my head. Many of you have experienced this already, but I found it difficult to watch my 13 year old son fade into the sea of runners...and into a life of his own. "Run safe boy" I said to myself.
I crossed the finish line in a disappointingly slow time. But hey, I finished. I managed to run the entire distance without walking which is quite the feat given I was on antibiotics for Bronchitis this time last week, my back hasn't completely healed, and I've only run two times since Oct. Tomorrow will be interesting! But hey, at least I won't feel bad if I wind up calling it a rest day.
By the way, the next time I saw Ty he was standing with his mom and sisters waiting on the one he has affectionately dubbed the "Big Lump". Obnoxious kid. At least I know he's mine!
We made it to the start and hopped in our corral with about 15 minutes to spare. We talked about sticking together and Ty assured me he would run the entire race with me. I was not convinced. I wasn't sure I could keep up with him given my back issues and having run just twice since October. I knew I had my hands full. The race started and it didn't take long to realize I was right. I tried every trick I know to slow the kid down but I just couldn't do it. He knew what I was up to and wasn't happy about it. As we passed the first mile marker I could tell the boy was frustrated. It was then he made a disparaging remark about the pace and disappeared into the crowd. There wasn't a darn thing I could do but shake my head. Many of you have experienced this already, but I found it difficult to watch my 13 year old son fade into the sea of runners...and into a life of his own. "Run safe boy" I said to myself.
I crossed the finish line in a disappointingly slow time. But hey, I finished. I managed to run the entire distance without walking which is quite the feat given I was on antibiotics for Bronchitis this time last week, my back hasn't completely healed, and I've only run two times since Oct. Tomorrow will be interesting! But hey, at least I won't feel bad if I wind up calling it a rest day.
By the way, the next time I saw Ty he was standing with his mom and sisters waiting on the one he has affectionately dubbed the "Big Lump". Obnoxious kid. At least I know he's mine!
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