I just finished my first 5K this morning; at a clip of 10m 25s per mile. Not a time that's going to wow anybody, but I'm just happy I finished.
I really wasn't planning on running that far this soon. This was going to be a gradual process in preparation for the 5K in Kansas City that isn't being held until the middle of November. But Tera, practically shaking with excitement, came home with a flyer for another 5K run being held here locally.
"Dad, I want to run in this one, too!!!" she said as she handed me the flyer.
"Ok, pumpkin.....Oh, and look, it's only two weeks away...." (Oh, shit)
I held the flyer in my hand and wondered if I could actually run a 5K; up until very recently, the only real running I did was on the ball diamonds, and that wasn't much. I was really starting to worry.
So it felt really good when I knocked it out on the first try this morning. My lungs did just fine and the numbness in my right arm is almost gone. Now if I could just find a way to numb everything from the knees down.
I'm walking around the house all Jello legged and my knees, although not swollen, feel about the size of a pair of softballs.
"Shit, I'm going to be in a wheel chair by the time I'm sixty," I thought.
But I'm okay with that ----- as long as my wheel chair has roll bars and four wheel drive; maybe some fuzzy dice, too......
OOOHH!!! And personalized plates. Maybe 1BDFART.....No, without the word old in it, it just looks wrong. That could be seriously misconstrued.
Maybe,.....IRACEU...... ???? No, don't like it.
Hmmm......1SXYGPA.....Now that might work. I'll have to mull it over some more.
Anyway, I'm getting off the subject here.....Let's move on.
I can't tell you how seriously proud of Tera I am. My former couch potato has really taken to Girls on the Run; combine that with an improved diet, and I have seen some noticeable changes in her.
And it's not just physical changes; she has gotten a lot more energetic. (Not sure she really needed more energy, but, oh well) I've noticed that she doesn't spend near as much time in front of the computer or on her iPod. Yesterday, she took a bat and a few balls and spent some time hitting in the yard --- with no one else around.
It's great to see the progress she's made. But part of me worries that the time when I can't keep up with her is coming sooner that I thought. All I have to do is look to Toby for proof of that.
When kids are little they don't really fathom the concept of setting goals and self improvement. They just want to have fun....You know, be kids.
But as adolescents, the idea of setting goals is now well understood.....Or, at least in the case of my 13 year old, it is.
Toby was introduced to the summer weight lifting program held by the school; and he bit into it hook, line, and sinker. The first time I knew that this was his thing was when he took off his shirt and said, "Dad, check it out.."
He had a six pack and he was, justifiably, proud of it.
Now, suddenly, he has set personal goals for just about anything you can think of. It's all about benching more, jumping higher, running faster.
He is constantly looking ahead. He plays linebacker in middle school, but he told me one day. "They are probably going to move me to corner in high school....I gotta get faster."
What has me worried is that I just picked up a home gym from a friend (Thanks, Chuck). Toby is already salivating and planning workouts --- for both of us.
It's only fair. After all, I coach him all the time, so I told him that this was his baby and that I'll do what he does........I just hope that I can keep up.
The weight part doesn't concern me....It's the number of reps that does and how my body will perform the day after. At 42, I just don't bounce back quite like I used to.
But, the important thing here is that, with both kids, I'm creating a bond. Karla has her connection with them through school and financial responsibility (how to be a better budget weenie). So I get the diet and physical fitness part.
I realize that if I can make this a positive experience for the kids then they could possibly turn this little father/kid experience into a life long habit. That would be huge.
And if it cripples me in the process? No biggie. Remember, four wheel drive and roll bars. :)
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