When the runner is ready, the race will come. I’ve waited a looong time for Thing 1 to want to run a race. I can count on two fingers the number of kids’ races she’s done. Although she had a stellar rookie year on the track team last year, she still has never run with me and has never expressed interest in a 5k, despite the fact that many of her friends run them.
I’ve sat (mostly) silently back. I do not want to force my love of running upon her. At last my patience and low-pressure tactics paid off. With plenty of encouragement from her friends, Thing 1 signed up for her first 5k.
But wait, it’s not all sunshine and roses. You may know that tweens have a certain way about them. They. Know. It. All. Risk offering advice and they’ll simply do the opposite. With plenty of eye roll.
But I couldn’t help myself.
I gave her a tech shirt: which went unworn.
Made her a bagel: which went uneaten.
Mixed up an electrolyte drink: which went untapped.
Offered ever so tiny snips of advice: “Don’t go barreling out the first mile. Take walk breaks. Stay with your friends. This is a fun run.” I couldn’t help myself.
It poured all night, but that’s ok because our tropical temps dropped too. The day dawned crisp and clear.
Chief cowbell ringers need carbs too.
I lined up all the way in the back, confusing ‘timed’ and ‘chip timed’. Turns out there were no chips. Thing 1 and her posse started quite a bit ahead. I hung back and watched. She made it clear she DID NOT want to run with me.
As the field spread out I got closer to Thing 1 but still hung back. They were going too fast (IMO). Should I run my own race? Or play helicopter mom? I decided on the former and just went. I offered encouragement to the group then went ahead, trying hard to mind my own business. Thing 1 came with me. I couldn’t help but remind her to take it easy. She’s a sprinter, hurdler, miler but has never trained for a 5k. I wanted this to be a great experience for her. Should I pace her? Knowing full well she didn’t want to run with me, I told her to go back with her friends. I forced myself to run my own pace and not look back. It’s a freaking 5k not brain surgery.
My Garmin beeped with no mile marker in sight. Was this course going to be long?? Now that I was no longer obsessed with Thing 1’s race, I noticed a lady of a certain age maybe 30 yards ahead. I’m sure we stood out among the sea of kids. Slowly I gained on her. She kept turning to look back at me. Hmmm…I thought about missing 2nd place by 1 second at that race a few weeks ago. Part of me said “Let her go, you’re hurting.” Then another part of me said “she’s probably hurting too.” So when we turned the corner onto a path that ringed the school athletic fields with a half mile to go, I tried to pass on the inside but she closed the gap. She was not going to make this easy. Ugh. So I fired the geriatric jet blasters (did you know there were such things? Neither did I), swung out, passed her wide, and sprinted away praying she wouldn’t catch me and even moreso that I wouldn’t puke. I saw Thing 2 with the Caveman and gave them the thumbs up, although I felt like death. I chugged in, never looking back and still have no idea where the lady finished.
Then it was time to find Thing 1. I spied her rounding the fields, she’d broken away from her friends. She blazed down the final stretch to a very strong finish. Oh to have that much in the tank. She was thrilled, I was ecstatic and all was right with the world.
This is a non-competitive school race so no overall or age group awards. All the kids got medals and us grown-ups got to cheer them on and be proud.
I am amazed by how well Thing 1 ran on no 5k-specific training and can only imagine how fierce she’ll be when she actually trains. As for me, while I would like to have been faster, the course was long (3:21) and my average pace was a couple seconds slower than last 5k. Maybe MAF training and 5ks don’t mix. However, the third mile where I was in hot pursuit of the lady was a full minute faster than the previous 2. The final .21 was 1:15 faster.
I am encouraged by that.
How was your weekend? Did you race? Are you a helicopter parent? Did you have one?
Nothing like hunting down another run to keep your pace speedy. That’s one of the things I like about racing. Anyway, I am hoping for my “geriatric jet blasters” to kick in on Sunday near the finish! 🙂
It sounds like you handled this in the appropriately low-key way and it paid off. I will take you as my example. My son is usually game for a race, but my daughter has so far been against the idea–hopefully she’ll be like Thing 1 and someday change her mind. We have so many fun kids races around here….
Cheers to Thing 1 and to you! It’s amazing what “the hunt” will do to your pace and your brain!
No kids here and my mom was a helicopter more with my sister than with me. Eh, we both turned out alright! Ha. I did a virtual race this weekend and that was a lot of fun.
Happy Monday! Em
Way to go mom! I think you showed great restraint in letting her run it on her own. It’s such a fine line. It paid off for you both and I hope you’ll have many more running experiences with her.
Now–where did you get the cute capris?
My son (same age as thing 1–12?) used to run 5ks with me and then soured on running. I have completely left it alone b/c like you, didn’t want to turn him off with too much nudging. He is now coming back to it and will actually go out for 1-2 mile runs around the neighborhood on his own, or with me. You know I am loving it and hoping it will stick!
Way to go – I am not sure if I would have handled it the same way, but the way you did it worked out 🙂 Congrats on your race.
Awesome job to both of you!!! That’s fantastic.
Nice job on lettinng her run her own race! I’m lucky that for my son’s first 5K he wanted to run with me – but kids are fickle so you know that could change by the next race 😉
Yay!! Congratulations to both of you!!! So exciting!
My mother-in-law is still a helicopter parent, it drives me up the wall. And she sometimes does it to me too, and that’s not cool since she’s not my mom!
Hooray for both of y’all kicking it in to finish!!!
So hard to let the kids do their own thing but sounds like the best decision in this case for sure!!!
One day she will realize that you have lots of expertise and she will ask you for it – it will be glorious!!!
That’s so awesome!! It cracks me up about what you said about tweens not listening. Yep, that was definitely me with my mom.
Congrats on the speedy finish! I love the unworn tech shirt and untouched bagel. I can see myself trying to offer the same things, with no success. 🙂
Ahhh, so warm to read this today. She’s turning into her own person….but so much like her momma ;). Well done, Thing 1!
Yes! I saw on IG too.. love this! A guy on the gym was telling e this morn how he is running with his 12 year old daughter & loving it! 🙂
How fun that Thing 1 did this! I can totally picture the talk going on in your head while you were deciding what to do. Sometimes even the simplest things seem hard for a mom.
I love that you got the lady of a certain age.
Ha ha ha. Geriatric jet blasters! Do they have anything to do with a cabbage and bean-heavy diet?
That’s great! Hopefully Thing 1 is now infected with the running disease and will be hooked for life!
Aww, congrats to Thing 1 on her first 5K! Man, I bet it would be so hard not to give her a ton of advice! Is she already thinking about the next one?
hooray for daughter #1! i hope she enjoyed herself and wants to do another. i’m sure finishing ahead of her friends helped 🙂 and congrats to you too! way to dig deep, find those “geriatric blasters” and kick it home.