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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A proud day for dad

Over the past several years, I've found myself crossing the finish line without my wife or kids there to greet me. Younger kids (like mine) have the attention span of a gnat so even if they did brave the parking and massive numbers of athletes and family, it's never really worth the hassle. Hey, I'm ok with that...a happy wife = happy life :)

Lately however, they've been venturing out and braving the crowds to watch me finish (IMAZ and PF Chang Marathon). I don't think they (the kids) understand what goes into those races but they certainly have enjoyed watching me finish (and taking advantage of the post-race snacks).

"Daddy, you're sweaty!"

"Daddy, why do you look tired?"

"Daddy, when are you going to stop eating?"

I could certainly could never get tired of having them there at the finish or asking obviously innocent questions.

I raise this because the tables have turned recently and I've been taking time to go watch my daughter participate in her track meets as part of the Weinburg Running Club. She'll tell you she's not the fastest but she does enjoy running with her friends and seeing if she can beat her previous time (...I'm sure I don't know where she gets her competitive spirit from...)

Track meet #2 was yesterday and my jaw almost hit the floor when she asked me to use my 'running watch' (Garmin 305). Stunned by surprise and pride, I happily slapped it on her wrist and gave a 30-second primer on which buttons to push. As you can see below, she did great.


There were fewer kids at this race than the first (over 500 kids at race #1) but regardless, she came in 66th place overall (there were at least a 200 kids total). Compared to 164th place in the last track meet, she was ecstatic.

Also, she was quick to point out that "...even Ironmen don't get Popsicles at the end of their races..."

I'm very proud of her and hope she continues to improve and have fun.

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