Getter older by the day

As children grow up, they like to race with adults. At least most like to do sprints against adults. Sprints are all about instant gratification and children like immediate results. The races might be 10 yards, 25 yards, or 100 yards, but these types of races allow children to show how fast they are and that they can beat their parents.

My daughters are no different. We have run a lot sprints through the years and I usually ran with my foot barely on the gas because that's what "Dad's" do. Winning was not what was important but the act of doing it with them was really the important part.

This past week after work, my daughters followed me to the soccer field and they joined me while I was going through my running form drills. What child doesn't like to jump, hop, skip, run etc?

Everything was fun and games for them.

The final part of my forms drills is roughly a 75 yard sprint because this is how long the soccer field is.

And of course my daughters were all into this drill.

So we count down and I yell go. They take off sprinting and I learn really quickly that they are getting bigger and faster. No longer do I need to barely touch the gas pedal, but I have step on it pretty hard just to keep up. We near the end and they are looking back laughing and enjoying the bragging rights of beating "Daddy" already. It was kind of like a wide receiver that holds out the football to the defensive back as he heads into the end zone.

After the first two sprints, there was some additional coaxing needed to get them to run the final two sprints. Apparently, they were completely and utterly exhausted by these first two sprints. They definitely had to work harder on the final sprint to beat me and I didn't do much soft pedaling. When it comes to sprinting, they can match me pretty well.

Winning or losing wasn't the significant part of this experience. Soon they will be grown and charting their own courses through life, but I will always be able to look back fondly upon this day with them. You never know when a special moment is about to happen so please don't ever waste any opportunity to enjoy one.

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner