34
I know, I know, where the hell have I been? I've been gone for way too long. There's been a lot going on in my life lately and this blog seemed to have falled off the face of the planet when that happened. Oops!!! I've got nothing, except I'm sorry and I'm really working to do better. I promise
But what better way to come back to the blogging world, than with a huge brag accomplishment post about my 7 year old. In December, TJ and I ran the Savannah Bridge Run. Dylan was there to cheer us on and that day he had decided he wanted to run it with us the next year. I was so excited and all for it. There's just one thing: Dylan has never run 3 miles all at once before.
I knew I would have to get him to start running and practicing if he really wanted to run the bridge. I've been a huge slacker mom and hadn't gotten him started with running. He was getting plenty of exercise but I just never got him focused on running.
One random weekend day, I brought up the subject of him running the 5K and that maybe he'd like to go run with me just to practice some. Instead, Dylan responded with how easy a 5K would be and how would was going to get first place. I admired his confidence and determination but I also knew at 7 years old, he really didn't know how long 3 miles was and that he might be in for a surprise.
Then a running group I'm part of, Savannah Moms Run This Town, posted a link to a Living Social Deal for the Girls On The Run 5K. The entry fee was half off and knowing Dylan need exposure to the true length of a 5K, TJ and I thought this would be a good chance to allow him to see how long it was and if he wanted to quit halfway through, then it would be ok since it was out and back, and the cost of the entry fee wasn't high. TJ and I asked Dylan if he wanted to try it out. He excitedly said yes, and we were registered for our first 5K as family, with Jordyn being pushed in the stroller by TJ.
Now, fast foward to the week before the race. TJ calls me while he's at school with the opportunity to work on his first film as boom mic operator (you know those guys that hold the huge microphones above the actors during filming) on a student film. Reminding him, he would miss the race, he almost cancelled on the film shoot, but I knew we could do it and he needed the experience. That left with pushing Jordyn in the stroller.
If you've read my blog long enough, you may find that I never talk about my runs with Jordyn. I talk about my walks with her, but never my runs. Why you ask? Because I don't do it. I don't run with Jordyn in a stroller. I typically take my runs as me time, but, really, it's tough work. We also don't have a jogging stroller, which makes it a bit tougher. So, I knew I was going to be in for a real challenge as well.
The morning of the race Dylan was up and ready to go in record time. He was so excited about the race. Me, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. I knew how tough it might be for pushing the stroller but it was more about Dylan and with him as excited as he was, you couldn't help but smile and have a little excitement yourself.
Once we got arrived at Savannah State University, wherethe race was held, we checked in, were given or t-shirts and bibs and then walked around a little bit. And before heading to the start, we of course had to get a before race picture.
Once lining up on the track for the start, we sapotted this awesome dad sporting a matching tutu with his daughter.
Finally it was time to race. Before the race began, I told Dylan how he needed to start slow. If he did that, he'd be able to run longer and farther. Well, the poor kid was just too dang excited. I kept asking him to slow down some in an effort to pace himself. He made it about 1/2 mile before he asked if we could take a walk break, which honestly I was fine with. Pushing that stroller isn't easy. He caught his breath and was ready to go again. We ran for a little bit longer before he needed another walk break. And so on. We made this a run/walk 5K, as I figured it would be. I let Dylan determine when we would walk and run, but tried to push him just a little further each time he said he wanted to walk. If he asked to walk, I suggested making it to the next tree or lamp post. It usually gave him a little push, but I knew I couldn't push him too much since he wasn't used to this at all.
This race route was out and back, so when we started passing people, Dylan would be running and cheering on the other runners. He kept encouraging anyone and everyone to keep it up and that they were doing great. His sportmanship was phenomonal.
We finally made it back to the stadium where we would 3/4 of the way around the track to the finish line. I told Dylan to wait for me to yell, "GO" and when I did to run as fast as he could through that finish line. I told him not to stop until he crossed the finish. At the final stretch, I told him to go, and he took off. I, ran as fast as I could as well but with that stroller I knew I wasn't going to be as fast as he was. I just kept cheering him on as I ran and to keep it up.
As soon as he crossed the finish, he stopped, turned around and waited for me, but he was kind of in the way of the rest of the finishers. Ooops! No one seemed to care but as we walked out the way, they were handing out finisher medals. Dylan was already proud of himself for finishing and then they hand him a medal. His whole face lit up.
He went on and on about how awesome he did and how he got a "gold medal." After the race, we met up with a few of the ladies from the Savannah MRTT group for a group photo, and he was flashing his medal around (unaware that they too got one. lol) Gotta love those ladies for humoring him.
All in all, it was a great race for him. He had a great time, but is now a little unsure about the bridge run. I told him with practice, he can absolutely do bridge run and beat his time. He's got a bit of motivation now and is ready to start running a little more.
As for me, whew! Kudos to you moms who run with strollers on a regualr basis. That was tough work and if it weren't for the major calorie, I would never entertain the idea again. haha! But, that calorie burn was amazing! On a completely different note, I would love to make a family 5K a new Mother's Day (weekend) tradition.
Do you run with a stroller? Do you have any tips? How about kids running 5K's? Do you know of the best approach for kids and training?
