Passing the Torch

I have always loved endurance sports. From the time I was a kid, I have enjoyed biking, skiing, hiking, and yes, running. I always had one of the best mile times in P.E., and once I finally dropped soccer for cross country and track, I did pretty well and really liked it. My enthusiasm continued through college with mountain bike racing, and once I moved to Texas after college I really got into running again. All that to say, I have looked forward to introducing Sam and Nate to the wonderful world of running.

Well, I finally got to the do that this weekend at the 17th Annual Fort Worth Zoo Run. I had hoped the boys could run with me for the Cowtown Marathon (well, not the actual marathon, but the kids fun run). Unfortunately, the fun run was a 5K, which is a little much for my 6-year olds. Sam was adamant he needed to do a run to raise money for something, so when this came up we all jumped at it. In Sam's words, we were running to raise money for God's world. I guess that was because the money was going to support the zoo animals.

So, on the morning of the race, we all got on our running clothes, laced up our sneakers and left the house before the sun was even up. The boys did great in their 1K race, which was not really a race but they don't know that. They had a unique strategy, where they would run at a full sprint, slow down when they got tired, and take off sprinting again when someone tried to pass. It was more like interval training, but it seemed to work. We ran right through the middle of the zoo and saw the rhino, zebras, elephant, meerkats, and giraffes. Gina even managed to snap a few photos of the animals during the race. Both boys finished strong and were rewarded with a "medal" (ribbon and button) and snacks.

You can count on a race to bring out someone's true personality. Sam's comment when he finished: "Did I win?" And Nate? All he said was, "I'm never doing this again!" When questioned a little more, he did admit he wanted to do it again when he is a little older. I'm already thinking ahead to this summer to see if I can find another 1K, and it won't be long before they are running 5K races with me. I don't know if they will ever develop a love of racing, but I do hope they will enjoy running as much as I have.

Here are some more pictures from the event.