Girl vs. Dad

For those of you who know me, you can vouch for me when I say this: "I am selfish."  Well not selfish all the time, unless it includes my workout time.  Don't ask me to stay up late on a Friday night because I have to run early in the morning.  Don't ask me to slow down because I'm running intervals.  And by all means, do NOT take my time after work for more work stuff - I've got to go run!

Yes, it sounds bad and I know that.  A while back I read "Mile Markers" by Kristin Armstrong and I was continuously moved by the fact that she was so dedicated to her running, but when it came to her girls and their running, she would slow down to a crawl if that's what they needed.  It wasn't about her goals.  It was about their goals, and she would not hesitate to sacrifice her 5K race for a few slower miles with her daughters. That theme showed up time after time in her book and it made me realize there is a time for you and there is a time for others.  And based on what I read, I'm pretty sure the time for others gives you a feeling that meeting your minute per mile pace could never offer.

So what does this have to do with running club?

My lovely sunshines showed up at 7am and ready to go. We warmed up for a few laps and then they were on their own.  After my first "official" track workout yesterday, my legs were a little sore and since I've been logging so many miles (all thanks to my New Balance Minimus), I was taking a break.  We had some company this morning on the track: a husband and wife along with their two kids.  They jogged up and down a stretch of the track for a few minutes (even mom in her fancy clothes and Sperry shoes), and then dad headed off around the track.  And to my amazement, so did son and daughter. Of course dad was leading the pack and coming in a close second place was the little girl.  She must have been only about 5 or 6 years old but she was giving it all she had. Her poor little brother wasn't quite making the same progress and once I saw him cut across the field, I realized he didn't really want to.  Oh but she certainly did.  One lap down and they were headed around for the second.  What happened next felt like an all too familiar situation for me.  As they were taking the last turn, mom yelled out to dad to slow down and to run with the daughter.  And then he said the thing that I'm sure I have all too often thought or even said.  He responded (and I am quoting here), "If I run any slower, I'll be walking.  What do you want me to do?"  The mom replied, "We came out here for her, not for you.  She wanted to exercise."   

Wow!  Is that really how I come across? Am I really that unwilling to sacrifice a minute per mile slower for some actual quality running time? How selfish could I be? It was a true Ah Hah moment, and I needed to remedy my selfishness FAST!  I immediately jumped in with the girl from our group who was slowly trotting along in my immediate attempt to do better.  You see, it's not that I'm so great at running because I'm not.  It's just I always have my plan and I refuse to let it be interrupted.  I struggle with sacrificing my running plans in order to help someone else along with their running goals.  I'm just that selfish when it comes to running. But today really made me see this and help me to realize it's not all about me and my plans.  Sometimes I have to give a little, whether it be to run slower, to run longer, or to run later in the day, just so somebody else can get what they need to out of the sport.  I will forever remember that little girl running around that track.  It's a feeling that will never even compare to a sub 3:20 marathon time.