Raising a Runner

Before the kids could walk, I bought them a little size "1" soccer ball and placed it at their feet.

One of them took to it for the long haul. the other, while speedy and agile, "hated it." Sigh.

Incredibly athletic and amazing at every sport, the boy who rode his bike without help the second the training wheels came off, played on a state championship football team at age 9, did incredible dives at age 6 when I signed him up for the neighborhood dive team to learn "safety," became "fly half" his first out in rugby, this amazing athlete has never really stuck with any one sport to extreme, but has rather dabbled in nearly every sport available locally (no lacrosse, no hockey, but otherwise just about everything).

The one thing consistent in every sport he liked or didn't like was the amount of running involved. Despite his speed (through the years nicknames like "cheetah" have stuck), he hates to run. Hates it. Despises it.

It's no secret I like to run. I prefer to chase a ball, but I will do a marathon or a 10 mile race or, just go run. There's something peaceful about it. And I have learned you either are a runner or you are not. I am.

My son, I thought, is not. Until this fall when, through NO encouragement of my own, he joined the cross country team. Huh?

ME: Son, you do realize this involves running. A Lot Of Running. For no reason other than, well, to run.

SON: Yeah.

ME: And?

SON: I thought I'd do it to stay in shape for rugby.

Reaaaaally.

I figured a few trekks out and he'd want to quit.

Then he dragged me out in CT in August to "run 5 [miles]" and we did.

Then he came home one Friday bouncing off the walls because "We only ran 3 today and I feel awesome."

Then he, along with his teammates (12) ran 183 miles in 24 hours and 1 minute through the rain, the thunder and lightening, the wind, the cold, overnight in the dark by himself at times. He ran. And he loved it. And he is still excited about it. I don't know how many teams ran the Ragnar Relay. But I get the feeling there were a lot. (His dad had him for the weekend and did the volunteering part - lots of parents got involved, biking along side the kids, providing food, shelter, encouragement). And of the teams (maybe 50? he didn't know), they came in 8th. And he is so excited. His school put in 2 teams, and his team beat the other by over 3 hours.

My son. The Runner. I am so proud....