A run with my Son

This past weekend, I ran a 1-mile trail fun run with my 6-year old son. It was a really great experience for both of us for many different reasons. We had official race bibs, which I thought was really neat and he knew exactly what they were because he has seen several, in the past, scattered around the house. I made sure we got there to see the 10k and 5k group start, so he could experience the race in it's entirety. We began our race, within a few minutes of the 5k start. There weren't many of us for the 1-miler, but that wasn't what it was about. It was about him experiencing, first-hand, what his Daddy goes through at a trail race. One of my trail running friends, Josue, brought his son out to participate in the race, as well. I have to say, I was more nervous about this 1-mile than most any other race. Even during the short drive to the race, I had butterflys. Everyone gathered in the start chute and they sounded the horn. Off our boys went in a sprint towards the trail with Josue and I hanging way back and yelling for them to slow down so they wouldn't bonk (seriously). Well, the inevitable occurred just a few minutes into the race. We witnessed our sons slow to a walk on an old, gravel road. They continued walking until the trail turned onto single-track and then it was on. They ran almost every step and climb to the finish. At one point, my son was several people in front of me and I couldn't get up to him because of other runners on the trail. That was ok. We enjoyed watching them going up the last big climb before turning back onto an old, double-track road to the finish. I muled for my son and carried his handheld and offered him water when he needed it. We finally came into the final turn onto the football field towards the finish chute. I told him if he anything left in him, now was the time to let it all out. He took off and finished strong. He was a little winded, but was happy. Later on, we sat on the field while the awards ceremony for the 10k and 5k'ers was taking place. We stayed until the very end of the ceremony, even though I was ready to leave. He didn't want to leave until the last age-group award was handed out. A class act on his part. In the car, on the way back home, he mentioned he wants to run the race next year, but run the 5k. We'll see. He does love running trail, though. He sees it purely as playing and all the grown-ups can learn a lot from that perspective. Nothing would make me happier than for he and I to run a 100-miler someday. Regardless, even if he doesn't take up running as a sport he interested in long-term, at least, he has a little more perspective into what his Daddy does when I go away for a weekend to run at the races. And, it was an awesome way to spend the morning.