Running on Empty. Chick-Fil-A Madison 5K
Early this spring my youngest told me he wanted to run three 5Ks.
Three races of 3.1 miles.
I wasn’t sure.
But we signed up for the Chick-Fil-A race that was today in Madison.
Now he has run 5Ks before. But it was at Disney World and there was over 5,000 runners. This would be through the streets we travel every day and with a few hundred entrants.
So how did it go?
We started with the pack.
And stayed with the pack.
It became apparent that he thought I was being pokey.
I was intentionally.
It’s just when you are a journalist you have to put personal records on the back burner and think of the integrity of your reporting.
And honestly, it was fun to run and walk at a relaxed pace.
Though my son was all business. As were the people dressed as cows.
A few of the masses cheering us runners on.
We kept running.
My son plowing ahead. Mumbling under his heavy breath, “let’s get her. The one in the blue cow spotted socks.” And nodded in the direction of a woman 10 yards ahead.
We made it to Mile 1.
Then Mile 2.
Then the last half a mile he became as a demon.
Refusing to be passed.
Unless someone passed him.
He finished ahead of me.
For how else would I get a photo of him crossing the Finish line?
When he stopped he didn’t look so good. He sat down and looked sicky.
“I really don’t feel good.” He cried a little and sniffled a lot.
“Joe. You always push yourself past the point of no return. That can’t be taught. That fighting spirit will serve you well.”
‘I don’t like it,” he said. “It’s too painful.”
I got him up and walking around and he kept asking to leave.
When you child tells you he feels sick and wants to leave and doesn’t even care about puppies for adoption — you need to get that boy home.
Later that morning Dad came home and said that at the race site they had been looking for Joe.
He won second place in his age group.
Joe got something today. A thing much more important than a trinket on ribbon around his neck.
Something a parent can’t give a child no matter how much we’d like. He experienced a sense of accomplishment.
That’s one thing everyone has to earn on their own.
What do you think? Is accomplishment taught or caught?
