My Family Rocks the 5K!

My dad decided he was going to start running again last summer. He had been running about 17 years ago when he was in training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.  When he came back from that he continued to run for a while but eventually wound up stopping.  So last summer, the hottest time of the year in Texas, my dad decides to start up running.  He worked his way up in a week or so to running a little more each day.  They live out in the country and I swear his route is all uphill but he was doing it.  Since then he has been running 3 miles a day four times a week!  It has been so much fun for me, because I love to talk running with him.  I gave him my extra Garmin so he could start timing himself and watching his distance.  I gave him a couple of my tech shirts from races so he would have something that was wicking to run in and got him some for Christmas.  Now that he trusts me that they work, he is buying his own...He is all into it!  I LOVE it!  In fact, the other day he needed new shoes and was asking me what kind I thought might be good.  I was telling him about the Hokas, which I was planning to buy for myself in the next month or so because they seem really awesome.  Well, he got them first! That rascal!  So he has all the cool gear now!

Well, he had wanted the kids and I to come up and run the local 5K with him in the spring. We talked about it off and on since about December and when we finally figured out the dates we all signed up.  I was running a little with the boys at run club and at home and Dad continued to train up in Decatur.  The closer it got, the more trash talk there was on who was going to be faster, Stuart or Poppa.  (They are just alike.)

We got up there Friday and my dad drove the course with me.  This I thought so funny only because I do the same thing!  I thought he was just going to be in the mindset of "I can run 3 miles, I can do a 5K."  Ummmm...no....there is no telling how many times he had driven the course since they put it up on their website.  He knew where every hill was and which ones were steeper than others. He had a plan for his 5K.  I found out this weekend I am much more like my dad than I thought.  The way he planned his race, the way he obsessed about race results after we got home, the way he thinks about the race...yeh....let's just say this apple didn't fall far from the tree...I felt like I was looking in the mirror.  It was pretty funny.  Now when he tells me I might be competitive or hard headed, I can just inform him he is just like me. :-)

Race course...driven multiple times... :-)

So Saturday morning we got up and headed to the race site.

OSP - ready to race!

Big smiles...Let's do this!

Chase, Stuart, me, and Dad.  Brian, my mom, and my aunt came to cheer us on.  8:30 start time and we were off.  Chase ran faster than anyone in the beginning and we all kind of hit the 1 mile mark at 10:52 together.

Poppa is gone! Way ahead here! Stuart is showing off his guns!

 After that Dad was still going strong and Chase started slowly running out of steam about 1.5 miles in to the race.  I told Stuart to go ahead and just catch up to Dad and keep running.  (We had already had the talk about it doesn't matter who wins as long as everyone does their best before the race.)  Well apparently Stuart caught up to Dad and then passed him but just barely.  When Chase and I got to the finish line, Stuart and Poppa were both done with 33:27 and 36:18 min 5k's! Chase came in at 39:17!  I was so proud of all of them!

Finish Line Stuart!

We waited for the awards to see if anyone would win anything and Dad got second in his age group and Stuart got third in the 0-14 age group!  (Chase came in 4th but didn't get a medal...bummer...)

Chase, Poppa, and Stuart after the race!
Speedy guys!

3rd Place Age Group

So let me tell me you a little more about my dad - 8 years ago he had a heart attack and had bypass surgery -the month before Stuart was born.  His heart stopped on the operating table...Needless to say, we are very lucky that he is still here.  That being said, what is so amazing, is that he hasn't let that stop him in the least.  He went out there this weekend and flat out kicked that race's ass! He has run for about 8 months now all by himself. He doesn't have a group, or even a friend to run with because they live so far out in the country.  He does it for himself.  I freakin' love that!  I don't know that if I lost all my running friends that I would be so motivated to keep running like he does.  I admire his dedication.  

I thought of my dad when I read this...No excuses.

My dad could have plenty of good excuses to not run or not exercise, but he doesn't use them.  He could say he is 67 or he could use the not enough time excuse or the no running friends excuse, but he doesn't.  He is capable and he does it, because he can.

Over the past year, I have been blessed to do 5k's with both my parents - Mom did hers last May and then this past weekend with my Dad.  What an amazing role model my kids have in grandparents!  I love them both more than anything!