Run, Forest, Run...

Our school sponsored a 5K and 1 mile Fun Run today. All of my children chose to participate. I told them I would stay behind and help with administrative stuff (read: no way I was running!).

My son, whose previous running experience included exactly the length of one soccer field before saying "I'm tired", decided to sign up for the 5k. He ran the whole thing. I was actually quite proud of his persistance. My husband and I had doubts that he would complete it. Dear hubby even had car keys at the ready to rescue said boy. But he prevailed and crossed the finish line. He huffed, puffed and turned bright red. I rather expected him to be layed out across the front lawn of the school. But he held it together- if not for anything else than the fact that his friends had run the same race and were all ready ready to go run somewhere else.

My middle child ran the 5k, and actually beat my son (did not go over well with son). She came in 5th for her age division. Quite proud were her father and I. She was actually the first little girl to cross the finish line who didn't have on professional running pants and shirts. I don't really think she had on "regulation" tennis shoes. But that didn't stop her from trying & doing well!

Youngest daughter signed up for the 1 mile run. I am quite convinced she could have run the 5K without blinking. She managed to rope dear hubby into going along with her. He said she literally ran circles around him. She would have come in first all around in the 1 mile, except she said "I didn't want to win without you, daddy." (ouch)

Husband said he found the police escort on the first turn and offered them $20 bucks if he could climb in the back of the cruiser and have them drop him off a little ways before the finish line. They wouldn't go for it. So hubby hobbled the whole mile and has groaned nearly non-stop since.

Even a friend who served as one of our route officials came across the finish line before hubby. Not a good sign. But he made it- with daughter skipping across beside him.

The race, thanks mostly to our fabulous coordinator, went without a hitch. Ev eryone is eager for the next one. Even my kids are planning and strategizing how to train to get ready for next year. Who knows, maybe I'll even join them... Well, probably not. But it sounded like a nice gesture, didn't it?