Athem Great Pumpkin Kids Dash 2010

Saturday morning the alarm crowed. Literally crowed. The rooster on my phone seems more fitting these days to wake up to than a loud alarm bleeping.


The alarm meant it was finally time for Chloe and Miles to run the "kids race" they had been looking forward to.

I get giddy on race day. Whether I'm running or not - just being at a race brings it on. My husband calls it chirping. My mood is happy. I don't stop talking. Talking about everything and nothing all it once.

I felt giddy despite being a bit more stressed. After all, it is much harder getting two kids out the door early on a Saturday morning for a race than it is getting just myself ready.

That morning I felt I was giving my children a gift. My first race was in 2000 at the age of 18. Chloe's first race was 10 years later at the age of 4. I'm giving my children the gift of a head start on being healthy and athletic. They may never be runners. They might not even like sports. I am giving them a no-pressure option of learning early so they can decide for themselves.

Chloe is convinced that her and her best friend Ava won the race. In a sense they did. They won their own race. They ran their little hearts out for 100 meters and finished proud and confident. That is what winning is all about. Not being the best, but being their best.

In reality they really were among the first girls to cross the line. My competitive nature made sure that my friend Meredith and I were at the very front of the starting line with Ava, Chloe, Miles and Sophie. We didn't want any strollers, parents or kids who were out for a jog getting in our way. They wanted to race and we wanted them to.

Miles and Sophie are also convinced they won the kids 2's division. Miles the boys and Sophie the girls. There can be so many winners on race day. Male, Female, Age Groups, First Time Racers, PR's -- The list goes on.

Next time you race, think of these four children. They won. We didn't lie to them. They won. For winning is not always about crossing the line first but about your attitude about your performance.

When I need a race attitude adjustment or just a reminder of what winning is really about - I think back to Marine Corps 2008 when I qualified for Boston for the first time with a 24 minute marathon PR. On the way home I turned and said to my husband "I feel like a champion" -- I did and do to this day feel like a champion, even if I am just a champion in my own mind.

Visit my personal blog at:
http://www.mile-posts.blogspot.com/

Back to School

So our routine swung back into place this morning with the noticeable change that my daughter is much more grown up than she was at the same time last year.
We had breakfast first because she likes to talk at breakfast and if we wait to eat until after she's showered, we'll never be on time.
She did her teen thing, with the eyeliner and the fancy doo. I did my mom thing and laced up my running shoes. Ace climbed into his jogger, Susanne hopped on her bike and after sneaking past our dog, who loses her mind when she discovers she's not going with us, we were off.
It was a beautiful morning. No humidity. A soft breeze. Perfect.
Susanne split apart from us at about .5 mile (with shouts of, 'I love you!' and 'Have a great day!') Then we crossed back across to the playground. He was so happy to be back in his routine.
All said, the trip took nearly 90 minutes and I'd actually only ran for 20 of them. What a great morning!
Of course, tomorrow will be chaotic and I'll wonder why I even try, right?

This morning was definitely one for the memory books.