My youngest was in Robot Camp for the day but my oldest son, Joshua, who is 12, and I decided to go run the local 5k race being held in the town next to ours. A very low key race with a good crowd of 300 or so. In preparation, we attended the Red Sox game the night before and carbo loaded on hot dogs and peanuts.
We got up early, headed over and registered. We had fun sitting around and talking to a few friends before the race. I lit out for a bit of jogging maybe twenty minutes before the run while Josh opted for some stationary stretching. He doesn’t directly train for running – gets his aerobic capacity from playing soccer and the general running that kids do. Since soccer season has been over for a few weeks, he’s not been running much lately. Still, he had recently set a 5k PR of 28:xx on a very hilly course and hoped to do better today. I’ve been doing mostly endurance training with little real speedwork and was along for the ride. I’m not really a fan of 5k races – too much breathing involved.
We sing the national anthem and the crowd begins to mosey out into the road. Josh wants to start at the back so we are milling about in the less packed rear of the crowd. Before we now it, still not having heard a gun or a signal, we’ve started.
Josh has told me he wants to run on his own. So, after only a few hundred yards, having seen him running within himself, I wish him luck and move ahead. Before long I come upon my training pal Lori and run with her for a bit. She accuses me of stalking her and tells me to get lost too! So, I turn it up one more notch and surge ahead trying to find anyone who wanted to trade jokes with me. Not much luck.
So, I settle into a not-quite-5k-race-pace and enjoy the beautiful morning. By the mile 2 mark I’m no longer passing folks but nobody is passing me either so I set the cruise control. I cross the line in just under 23 and turn around to find Josh. He was still cruising nice and steady and I ran in the last quarter or so with him – until he told me he wanted to finish on his own. Damn kid is growing up. Though he ran a good race, he came in around 31 minutes – well off his PR. He was a bit disappointed but admitted he’d had fun anyway.
It was a good father and son bonding event – one I hope to repeat many times!
LeftRightRepeat 