Tuesday, January 22, 2008

TUES 01.22.08

You know it never really hit until just now. What I do effects how other people, namely my kids, grow and mature. Now of course I already knew this, but it really hit home today while reading a friends blog. His dad, years before ran in a race and won a turkey. He mentioned the fact that dad ran the race without even training for it as a joke. I am pretty sure it was no big deal to him, but it sure was to his son. Things that we will probably never remember can and will change a life!! That is a powerful statement!

Of course as parents we need to set the foundation. Brush your teeth, wash your hands, hold the door open for a lady, watch out for strangers, etc. More important than that, the glue that holds that foundation together, is what we DO more so than what we say. For the most part I run for myself, to get into and to stay in shape. I drag myself to the gym or out of bed on cold mornings or after a long day at work for my satisfaction. So I can be happy about myself and reach the next goal. I obsess about time and mileage. Nobody gets excited when I come home after a sub 36 minute 4 mile run. I usually just get this strange look from them before they go back to their video games or whatever it is they may be doing at the time.

Up until now my kids have only seen me compete in one race and I think the main reason for that was my 12-year-old stepson was running with me. There really hasn’t been a lot of support at the home front. I have to say that I take part of the blame in that only a few of my races have been local. I hope to change that in the upcoming year. Having said that getting up off the couch in the dead of winter or putting in 5 miles before we go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house on the 4th of July has a profound effect on the little ones that up until today has been lost on me.

I guess what I am saying is, as runners we run for ourselves for the most part. In doing so, however, we affect so many people around us. Some of whom we will never meet. The lady driving in the car who lets us cross the street when it is pouring rain. The little kid we give a high five to at mile 20. The person grabbing their mail as we run by in shorts when it is 40 degrees out. Then there are those people we do know and with any luck I will live long enough to be able to hear my grandchildren say to their friends, my Grandpa used to be a runner just like me!


Thanks for stopping by and special thanks to Bill, whose blog inspired me to write this.
R.P.D.


USELESS FACTOID...
Approximately sixty circus performers have been shot from cannons. At last report, thirty-one of these have been killed.

2 Comments:

At 12:28 PM , Blogger Bill Carter said...

Thank you so much for reading my blog and I am so happy that it had an impact on you.

You are absolutely correct that our running is a very personal thing. Try telling someone about your latest, greatest PR training run and you will usually get that polite nod and smile. Kind of a "yeah I will humor you this time, but your running is just plain boring!" But I do agree that it does affect other things in our lives.

Most importantly though, it affects us.

Best of luck.

 
At 10:05 AM , Blogger Megan Hall said...

So true, so true. I run for me (and don't have kids) but I have inspired a co-worker to train with me.

Keep on truckin'.

 

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