Grant took on this challenge with gusto, driven to run each of his training runs without walking (training run = go out and do a mile), and on a couple of occasions he even ran 2 miles with only a minor stop in between - something his mother finds extremely challenging! Isaac's motivation was a bit more extrinsic...basically he didn't want his little brother to show him up as they ran the circle drive that is our sub-division! Nonetheless, they both put in their time, and far exceeded the 25 miles that needed to be done prior to this evening's event in order to claim that they ran a marathon. In fact, I think that they each had the equivalent of about 2 marathons completed before tonight's race. This would be the perfect time to put a shout out for our schools' mileage clubs...programs where the kids are encouraged to run/walk a mile during their recess to earn feet charms, T-Shirts , Sweat Shirts, and Ultimately a new pair of shoes if they are dedicated enough. I really saw an increase in the kids' total mileage on their mileage logs once school started and they were accumulating a mile during recess at school, and often then a mile after school around the neighborhood with Maxx.
So...tonight they ran...and I got to play the role of the proud mama, a role I love dearly love. Both boys gave it their all...Isaac ran his heart out, not just to beat his brother, but just actually to do his best and see how fast he could go. There is no doubt that when a bonified race is on, with someone other than Mom saying "GO!", that the boy gets a huge adrenaline surge and can MOVE! As best as we could tell, his time for 1.2 miles was 9:42...by far his best timed run. Being 100% accurate was nearly impossible for us with the sea of aqua shirts going across the finish line. And at ages 9 &6, who cares about 100% accuracy anyway, right??? Isaac's proven his love of racing more than once in the past several months... he won his first bike race this past summer, and rode with determination in the other races he rode during the summer, and again tonight. This kind of exercise is great for our very energetic boy.
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| Possibly faster than a speeding bullet! |
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| All Smiles! (Left to Right:) Lauren Baker, Isaac, Kassidy Pyle, Alyson Baker |
As I said before, Grant was amazing us with his drive and determination from the moment he set his goal to run this race. Tonight he ran with his buddy Isaiah, and Isaiah's dad Nate... Those two very proud and sweaty boys crossed the finish line at about 12 minutes for the 1.2 miles...not too bad at all for anyone, and pretty great for two 6 & 7 year old friends!
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| Isaiah & Grant just after the Finish |
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| Can you tell that this is the obligatory "brother" picture? Check out Grant's smile with Isaiah compared to this shot. At this point the unspoken message to me goes something like "C'mon Mom, I'm STARVING!!! Can we just go??" |
So here I am...the proud mama. Quite night of accomplishment. Just as I was enjoying these moments in the ballpark after the race with Mike and our boys, Nate & Isaiah, and another friend and her daughter, Nate said, "Look at that..." Being the overly observant person that I am, I said, "I missed it. Did you see lightning?" (there was a pretty dark, threatening sky above)
"No," he said, "the screen."
I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. Up on the jumbo-tron, or whatever you call the great big screen at the baseball park, they had been streaming all the kids as they crossed the finish line. It had been a long time since the kids had finished, since we had retrieved them from the parent pick-up area, and moved slower than cattle in quicksand through the security gates where they make sure mom's pick-up tag matches Junior's bib number (measures that I am actually thankful for, I know...I would never want a stranger retrieving my children, of course!). The point is that the children's faces were no longer red, and they were pretty much all recovered from the race. And, as I looked at the screen, I saw a sight that got to me more than anything else tonight. A girl very close to my own sons' ages was being supported by two adults who obviously loved her greatly as she crossed the finish line of this race. With a loved one on each side of her for support, we watched as she painstakingly walked down the homestretch, crossed the finish line, and then nearly collapsed and was picked up and held by one of these beloved adults. As the moment unfolded, I was reminded how blessed I am to have two strong, healthy children. I was reminded again not to take such a gift for granted. I was reminded of our responsibility to provide our children with all that they need to be successful, which absolutely includes providing them opportunities to love and be compassionate to those less able than them. And as I've replayed the scene in my mind a few times this evening, something else has touched my heart. For while I was instantly reminded of the blessing of my boys' health, I am also seeing that this girl is a blessing to her family. There was no monetary reward if they pushed her wheelchair the distance tonight, no standing ovation for them or for her because she took those steps across the finish line. From what I could see, they just loved their girl, the same as we love our boys, and they wanted her to have this experience this evening, in spite of the extra challenges she faced in order to accomplish it. Her presence in their life blesses them, and they are clearly a blessing to her as well. As a family they went the distance and crossed the finish line, and it was indeed ...
quite an accomplishment.
