Multigenerational Insanity

Himself went out for a 16-mile run first thing yesterday morning.  He is perpetually in training for some race or another: usually a marathon, half-marathon, or relay of some kind.  It helps him to blow off steam, and he needs the outlet.  The relay races are the newest obsession; this year he is doing three, in three different states with three different groups of friends.  Two are about 200 miles in total length, and the other about 95.  A long way, even for a team.

He comes from a family of runners, too.  When I met him, his mother, father, and sister were all serious racers as well--his dad had actually gone to college on a track scholarship.  A daunting genepool as far as I was concerned!

To put it kindly, I am not a runner.  I played basketball in high school (there is virtually no choice in the matter when you are close to six feet tall and attend a small high school.)  To be fair, I was pretty good under the basket at either end--shooting or defending--but was under standing orders from the coach to give the ball to somebody faster and get out of the way every time I pulled in a defensive rebound!  Some people are built for speed, and others of us cannot comprehend why anyone would run 26.2 miles on purpose even once, let alone repeatedly.  Takes all kinds.

Anyway, being the accommodating girlfriend that I was, I made a deal with Himself.  I would cheerfully enter any race that the family was collectively running, provided a) that it was five miles or shorter in length, and b) that nobody would make fun of my finishing time.  For the longer races, I would be the one cheering at the finish line.  That deal lasted for years, and worked well for everyone concerned.

All three of my kids are now runners, as well.  Each has finished at least one race, and Thing One will be looking down the barrel of his first 10K sooner rather than later.  I can say unequivocally that they did not get either their talent or their enthusiasm from me, but this is a good thing.

And apparently I will be cheering at finish lines for years to come, too.