The day had finally come; all that training and getting ready for the Girls on the Run event at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City was, on this Saturday morning, November 16th, coming to fruition.
As I've stated before, GOTR is about much more than just running, and, as I also said before, trying to explain it in my own words would do the event no justice. If you would like to learn more about Girls on The Run, check out their site:
http://www.girlsontherun.org/
The weather for the day's run was cold, wet, and very windy -- not you're ideal running conditions. But it most certainly did not dampen the spirits of the more than three thousand participants in this years event; Tera most definitely included:
Goofy kid..... :) ..... I've pretty much given up trying to take serious pictures of her. It's almost automatic, as soon as Tera see's a camera she starts making faces; and it drives Karla up a wall.
Karla: "Tera, can you just make a normal face? I want to get a nice picture of you."
Tera: "What?"
Karla: "Tera, can you just make a normal face? I want to get a nice picture of you."
Tera: "What?"
I think Tera takes after her old man in that she would rather not be in front of a camera. When Karla finally gets her to smile and act "normal" (whatever in the Hell that means) she almost appears to be in pain. Family photos for, say Christmas, is an admittedly excruciating process thanks to Tera and myself. In fact, I don't even remember the last family photo we've taken......It's been a while, so I guess I better start bracing myself for one.
For this day, however, photographs were not going to be an issue although, in retrospect, I kind of wish it was.
Nope, Saturday morning was divide and conquer day for Karla and I. Karla would be taking Toby to his wrestling meet and I would be taking Tera, in the opposite direction, to her run. So not very many pictures would be taken of this event. (In fact, most of the photos I took on my phone look like crap and have since been deleted....sorry.)
Before the race, a DJ was playing hip hop (?) music and a large group of kids an adults were, I don't know, line dancing? I've been out of the game for quite a while and not up on the current lingo, what is the proper term for line dancing now?
Anyway, even though Tera and I didn't participate (I don't dance unless I'm really sauced), it was really cool to watch. Or is cool the right word? Narly? Awesome? Fantabulous?
I don't know....I'll admit, I'm a dork... (Nerd? Geek? Square?.....Hell, I don't know)
We had gotten there almost an hour before the race, and in that time I had gone to the bathroom three times; it's a little pre game ritual that I had not done in years. I actually found myself getting excited, nervous, about the run. I was getting keyed up the way I used to before every ball game I ever played. It felt awesome.....Well, at least to me it did....(And I really don't know why I was getting keyed up, it wasn't like I was actually competing)
Me: "Are you sure you don't have to go to the bathroom pumpkin?"
Tera: "Dad, I'm fine."
Me: "Why don't we try, just to make sure."
Tera wrinkled her nose as she took a long look at the Johnny on the job and shook her head...."I'm not going in there; those things are gross."
Me: "Tera, you haven't gone to the bathroom in almost two hours. Do you want to have an accident in the middle of the race."
Tera actually stood there silently and pondered the situation; as if contemplating whether or not wetting her pants while running was preferable to using a big plastic and somewhat off smelling toilet.
Me: "Tera, will you just go? For my own piece of mind?"
Tera: (Sigh) "Geez...fine, you're such a dork."
No argument there....But I prefer to view my strange little idiosyncrasy as a valuable precautionary measure. You never want to find yourself needing to void your bladder in the midst of heated competition. :)
The last five minutes, standing at the starting line and waiting for the run to commence, seemed to last for an eternity. I paced, I bounced, I fidgeted and grew increasingly impatient.....C'mon, let's go already!!!!
Tera stood there, calm and showing no real emotion. I wondered if I should check for a pulse.
The wondering didn't last long....The count down to start the race began....
5....4......3....2....1!!!!!!
I had ran a few times with Tera before this 5K and had a real good feel for her pace. Every time we ran together she consistently averaged a pace of a little over fourteen minutes a mile which, for an eight year old, I was quite pleased with.
But Tera started the run much faster than that, and I immediately began to worry that she may flame out before the end of the run.
"Pumpkin, are you sure this is the pace you want to keep?"
"Yep."
Well, ok....I hope.
You know, it's really bizarre now that I look back on the run. Between worrying about my daughter and taking in all the things happening around me, I don't ever recall feeling tired. Even better I never once felt my shins or my left knee.
It was just an awesome place to be that day. People were cheering for all the girls, holding up signs and rattling their cow bells; camera flashes were going off constantly. It felt more like a celebration than it did a run....If only all my runs felt this way.
It turns out that Tera knew exactly what she was doing. We had to stop once because her shoe came untied. Then we stopped again so she could get a cup of water. At first I started to worry because she drank her water and then, empty cup in hand, proceeded to stand there and stare. Maybe she needed to walk for a while?
"Tera, how ya' feel, kid?"
"I can't find the trash can."
"What?"
"I don't have anywhere to throw this cup away."
Tera does not like littering...The race is now on the back burner until we can find a receptacle for her garbage.
"Dad, what am I supposed to do with this?" asked Tera as she started to get a little agitated.
I looked and found, on the other side of the table, a pile of cups.
"There, throw your cup on the pile."
"Are you sure? I can do that?"
"Yes, pumpkin. Someone will come along to pick it up."
Tera did as she was told, but you could tell it really bothered her. She felt much better at the second watering hole when she found a woman there holding a trash bag.
The last half mile, whether she needed it or not, I became Tera's cheerleader. Her face was flush and her breathing labored, but she showed no signs of quitting. I did manage to irritate her a little when I mistakenly thought the finish line was just around a corner. When we got to the corner and saw a long straight away to the finish line Tera just huffed and glared at me.
"You lied to me."
"Sorry, but look, there's the finish line."
Tera saw the finish, set her jaw, and kept running.
I don't know if Tera felt a sense of accomplishment when she crossed that finish line, but I know I did. I've never been prouder of her. When she got her medal, I think, is when it hit home for her.
Of course, I had to wake her up when we got there........ :)
Nope, Saturday morning was divide and conquer day for Karla and I. Karla would be taking Toby to his wrestling meet and I would be taking Tera, in the opposite direction, to her run. So not very many pictures would be taken of this event. (In fact, most of the photos I took on my phone look like crap and have since been deleted....sorry.)
Before the race, a DJ was playing hip hop (?) music and a large group of kids an adults were, I don't know, line dancing? I've been out of the game for quite a while and not up on the current lingo, what is the proper term for line dancing now?
Anyway, even though Tera and I didn't participate (I don't dance unless I'm really sauced), it was really cool to watch. Or is cool the right word? Narly? Awesome? Fantabulous?
I don't know....I'll admit, I'm a dork... (Nerd? Geek? Square?.....Hell, I don't know)
We had gotten there almost an hour before the race, and in that time I had gone to the bathroom three times; it's a little pre game ritual that I had not done in years. I actually found myself getting excited, nervous, about the run. I was getting keyed up the way I used to before every ball game I ever played. It felt awesome.....Well, at least to me it did....(And I really don't know why I was getting keyed up, it wasn't like I was actually competing)
Me: "Are you sure you don't have to go to the bathroom pumpkin?"
Tera: "Dad, I'm fine."
Me: "Why don't we try, just to make sure."
Tera wrinkled her nose as she took a long look at the Johnny on the job and shook her head...."I'm not going in there; those things are gross."
Me: "Tera, you haven't gone to the bathroom in almost two hours. Do you want to have an accident in the middle of the race."
Tera actually stood there silently and pondered the situation; as if contemplating whether or not wetting her pants while running was preferable to using a big plastic and somewhat off smelling toilet.
Me: "Tera, will you just go? For my own piece of mind?"
Tera: (Sigh) "Geez...fine, you're such a dork."
No argument there....But I prefer to view my strange little idiosyncrasy as a valuable precautionary measure. You never want to find yourself needing to void your bladder in the midst of heated competition. :)
The last five minutes, standing at the starting line and waiting for the run to commence, seemed to last for an eternity. I paced, I bounced, I fidgeted and grew increasingly impatient.....C'mon, let's go already!!!!
Tera stood there, calm and showing no real emotion. I wondered if I should check for a pulse.
The wondering didn't last long....The count down to start the race began....
I had ran a few times with Tera before this 5K and had a real good feel for her pace. Every time we ran together she consistently averaged a pace of a little over fourteen minutes a mile which, for an eight year old, I was quite pleased with.
But Tera started the run much faster than that, and I immediately began to worry that she may flame out before the end of the run.
"Pumpkin, are you sure this is the pace you want to keep?"
"Yep."
Well, ok....I hope.
You know, it's really bizarre now that I look back on the run. Between worrying about my daughter and taking in all the things happening around me, I don't ever recall feeling tired. Even better I never once felt my shins or my left knee.
It was just an awesome place to be that day. People were cheering for all the girls, holding up signs and rattling their cow bells; camera flashes were going off constantly. It felt more like a celebration than it did a run....If only all my runs felt this way.
It turns out that Tera knew exactly what she was doing. We had to stop once because her shoe came untied. Then we stopped again so she could get a cup of water. At first I started to worry because she drank her water and then, empty cup in hand, proceeded to stand there and stare. Maybe she needed to walk for a while?
"Tera, how ya' feel, kid?"
"I can't find the trash can."
"What?"
"I don't have anywhere to throw this cup away."
Tera does not like littering...The race is now on the back burner until we can find a receptacle for her garbage.
"Dad, what am I supposed to do with this?" asked Tera as she started to get a little agitated.
I looked and found, on the other side of the table, a pile of cups.
"There, throw your cup on the pile."
"Are you sure? I can do that?"
"Yes, pumpkin. Someone will come along to pick it up."
Tera did as she was told, but you could tell it really bothered her. She felt much better at the second watering hole when she found a woman there holding a trash bag.
The last half mile, whether she needed it or not, I became Tera's cheerleader. Her face was flush and her breathing labored, but she showed no signs of quitting. I did manage to irritate her a little when I mistakenly thought the finish line was just around a corner. When we got to the corner and saw a long straight away to the finish line Tera just huffed and glared at me.
"You lied to me."
"Sorry, but look, there's the finish line."
Tera saw the finish, set her jaw, and kept running.
I don't know if Tera felt a sense of accomplishment when she crossed that finish line, but I know I did. I've never been prouder of her. When she got her medal, I think, is when it hit home for her.
I don't know if Tera had been sandbagging on our runs together or if she just turned out a great run, but she ran the 5K at an average of 11min 01sec per mile (Unofficially). I've looked at the app on my phone more than a few times just to see if maybe I did the math wrong, but each time I came up with the same time. If it's true then, at least with me running with her, she had cut almost 10 minutes off of her 5K time.
Wow.....Just.....Wow. :)
After the run was over we skipped out on the free pizza that was being offered, Tera's choice. Instead she asked if we could go to On the Border to celebrate; which I found kind of odd. It's a Mexican restaurant and Tera never order's Mexican food. She always gets a burger and fries there. But, hey, it's all good. Let's go celebrate!!!!
Wow.....Just.....Wow. :)
After the run was over we skipped out on the free pizza that was being offered, Tera's choice. Instead she asked if we could go to On the Border to celebrate; which I found kind of odd. It's a Mexican restaurant and Tera never order's Mexican food. She always gets a burger and fries there. But, hey, it's all good. Let's go celebrate!!!!
Of course, I had to wake her up when we got there........ :)
I had a great time with a great kid ---- and I can't wait to do it again.
PROUD OF YA', PUNK!!!!!
PROUD OF YA', PUNK!!!!!
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