Yesterday, a large part of the Catalyst Family attended a local 5k/10k.
This is not a course on which records are set: on almost 80% of the run, you're either climbing or descending. Climbs are steep; rocks are plentiful. The scenery, though, is gorgeous; the company can't be beat; and the kids' race is a stroke of genius.
Warming up at home, we had a 'family stretch' after breakfast: me, on the floor with my six-year-old, my three-year-old, and my wife. I was preparing for my first 10k race; my daughter, for all the cookies she'd encounter at the finish line. My son - three - wondered why HE didn't get to run in "the big race."
Perhaps tempted by all the cookie talk, he maintained that he wanted to participate all the way to the event. The $5 entry fee got him a backpack, granola bar, water bottle, vitamins....but the REAL payoff was the pride.
Finishing the 10k in fifty minutes, I barely had time to recover before the start of the Kids' event. The under-5 class ran 500m; halfway, my son asked for a ride on my shoulders. I reminded him of his Bright Spots (he'd already run halfway,) showed him how close he was to finishing ("after this corner, you'll see the big clock!") and then let him make the decision. He chose cookies. Let go of my hand. Sprinted. Crossed to dozens of cheering grown-ups. I choked up.
My daughter, during her 800m run: "It's easy. Do I sprint now? Now? Now?" - when it was finally time to sprint for the finish, she tripped over a hole in the ground at full speed. For a very brief moment, doubt crossed her face; but she jumped up and ran her fastest to finish. It was exhausting for dad, but liberating for her, and she went straight to the cookie tent, wearing a new medal in Catalyst green.
Last year, this was her first race. We signed up for 2011 immediately.
We had over a dozen first-time "racers" on Sunday. Some had never done 5k before. Some had done a 'time trial' with our Beginner Running Group. Those people all had a Personal Best - a first-time finish, or a fastest time. A few of the bravest ran their first 10k on that rock-hard course. Returnees - including many who were first-time racers LAST year - had personal bests. Our fastest (10k over hills in 38 minutes) was two minutes faster. And then we all went for fish and beer.
When I see an opportunity for pride - in myself, in my kids, in my Catalyst family - I jump on it. I doubt I'm alone there....
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