Fun Run...Because That's What She's All About

Leah is all about fun. Of all the people in our family, she lives in the world that is the most flowery, the most sparkly, and the most fun. I often catch her just skipping or dancing her way down the hall, and those are the moments she must have just taken off her skates for a few minutes.

Leah wants to try everything. She gets excited about everything...about every opportunity, every possibility, every new thing. And her enthusiasm rarely waivers or dies down.

When she forced a flier from school under my nose for five days straight, I knew there was no chance we'd get out of the Mile Fun Run/5K fundraising event her school was hosting. She's never run a distance of any kind in her life, but she maintained then (and even now that it's over) that she loves running. She had high hopes of running the 5K, but we encouraged her to ride her scooter for the 1 Mile Fun Run as a way to ease into the sport. That was actually my way of weasling out of participating...if she were to scoot along, Jared could run alongside her. Genius.

So they both suited up on this freaking freezing morning and we all headed to the school to show our support. For a pre-race warm up, Leah helped Meg ride her scooter.

Then we all stood around and froze for a while.

The starting line finally formed. Jared and Leah were right at the front, which didn't surprise me in the least. They're both high-achieving competitors.

The two of them were determined to be at the front of the pack from the beginning. Jared and Leah were both going to see to it that no foot-runner, dog, or fellow scooter-er would keep either of them from the front lines.

We drove to the halfway point of the course. I was amazed at how fast they made it there, but by the way Leah was carrying herself, I could see that a bit of fatigue was setting in. Didn't know if she'd be able to maintain that pace.

This must have been the point Jared decided to make his break.

But Leah wasn't going to get left too far in the dust and she kicked into high gear.

I drove as fast as I could to get to the finish line, but I missed the grand finish by a hare. She'd already been there for several seconds. Look how good she did!

Leah was so proud of herself, but I can't imagine that she was any more proud that I was of her! Her first race was over and I think she's looking for a second. I may have myself a running partner one of these days.

And we're all so proud of Jared too. For doing his part to make his daughter's first race such a great experience. For pushing her a bit and supporting her as she achieved something really important to her. And for joining with the school community to make it a positive experience for lots of other kids who were likely participating in their first race too.

I'm especially proud of the way he sprinted toward the end of the "Fun Run", pushing those eager kids on scooters out of the way so he could reach his 7 minute goal. As he was running to the finish the announcer said, "WOW! Look at him!" I doubted anyone could help but notice. Gosh, what a "Fun Run" that must have been.

Congratulations to both of my runners on a job well done!