Fun Run

For a little while now, Kris and I have been taking the kids to the rec center to run the track with us o Friday or Saturday nights.  We let them go their own pace and Kodi is slow and steady, while Kyson likes to sprint and then can't go very far.  He'll have to sit down to recuperate.  Because Kyson still remembered my race from the year before, I thought it would be fun to register the entire family for an official race, and then the kids would be able to participate.

I noticed a flier at the rec center for a fundraiser for some local softball teams and children's diabetes.  They had a 1 mile run with a 5k.  I decided to sign us all up, but by the time I did it, they were out of shirts.  That wasn't cool, but we were doing it for the experience, not a T-shirt.  I asked my parents if they'd be willing to come support us, and they said they would.

The morning of the race, we were all so excited.  We got dressed, packed some snacks and water, and headed over to the park where the race was to begin.  At the park, they had bagels, fruit, and water, and we definitely  munched on the free food.  They called for the 5k runners and had them line up at the starting line - and off they went.  It was a decent sized crows.  A few minutes after that, they called for the 1 milers, and a very small crowd of us lined up.  I felt kind of stupid that there were so few of us doing the 1 mile, but once again, it's for the experience.  And off we went.

Kris stayed with Kyson who did pretty well for a short time.  Then he started complaining and whining.  The experience was losing its fun.  I stayed with Kodi who also started out well.  She also got tired and would walk so slowly that we were in last place.  On the way back, I ended up carrying her while I ran to try and make a little headway.  Some people on the other side of the street saw me and I yelled, "I know, I'm cheating."  They supportively said, "It looks like you're doing more work than cheating."  We made it back to the finish line and Kodi got nervous about crossing it so I had to guide her in.  Kyson, from what I hear, flat out refused to cross the finish line.  Kris finally crossed without him and waited for him to follow.

So, the experience of the run, was just that - an experience.  The kids got tired and complained, they didn't get the rush of the cheering crowd, even though the crowd was there, and they didn't understand the work it takes to do a race, even if it's only a mile.  In the end, I was grateful for my parents' support, and the opportunity to do a family fun run.