Words of wisdom

On Sunday morning (my sleep-in day) I really didn't want to get up for my run. It was only to be a short run in the neighborhood, but it was cold outside....I had eaten too much the night before...I had a headache...the bed was warm.....yadda, yadda, yadda. Experience has taught me that if I can just get myself out there I'll be glad I did. So finally, I invited my 7 yr old son along, knowing that we would probably walk a lot.

Our goal was 3 miles. As you would expect from a 7 yr old boy, he started off like a rocket, but I soon convinced him to slow down so we could pace ourselves. It was a clear, brisk morning and I was glad to be out running, even if it wasn't at my regular pace. I had my gps with me and when we were at about 1.5 miles, the little guy asked how far we had gone. We were holding a steady 12 minute pace at that point. "Let's shoot for 30 minutes!", he said. I explained that to make 3 miles in 30 minutes we'd need to speed up to 10 minute miles and that we'd have to go even faster to make up for the slower beginning pace. It was an unlikely scenario. But not to him. "There's no point in not trying, Mom!" he exclaimed as he started to sprint down the street.

Of course, we weren't able to finish the 3 miles in under 30 minutes. But his words and attitude have stuck with me. It's my new mantra to guide me into 2007. I think those words will serve me well as I train for my first 50 miler.