How to Run Your First Race When You are 3 1/2 Years Old

How to Run your First One Mile Race (which happens to be in the rain) When You are 3 1/2 Years Old in 12 Easy Steps

 

1. Be super excited at the starting line
 

 

 

2. Take off running with the big kids.

 

3. Stop about .2 of mile in and insist that your mom take off both shoes to get (imaginary) rocks out of them.
 

4. Hydrate using the falling rain.

 

5. Take a little walk and then haul ass again.

 

 

6. Decide to pick up a branch along the way and sweep the trail.
 

7. 1/2 mile in, request your super hero cape to be put back on for fast running powers.

 

8. Stop to play in a puddle with branch.

 

9. Whine a bit and completely stop.
 

10. Approach the finish line with Momma's coaxing while still sweeping the trail with branch.
 

11. See Batman approach you as you are close to the finish line, drop the branch, and zig zag to the finish line to avoid him because you are scared.
 

12. Collect your Finishers Ribbon and say "Dat was really far."

 

His run may have been more painful for me than my 5k, but I'm so proud of this little dude.

 I've run about seven times since December, so I was totally unprepared for this race.  Plus, I have only pushed Sidekick in the jogger one time in about the past 12 months.  He's hated sitting in the jogger (even a stroller) since he was 2, but I really wanted to do the race, so we practiced last weekend, and I was exhausted trying to get in a groove of pushing him and running. 

 

My run was amazing!!! It was raining on race day, and the race was on gravel. Gravel and rain don't mix well, and gravel, rain, and a jogger with a 36 pound kid really don't mix well.  Nonetheless, all of that only slowed my normal pace down (and by normal, I mean my last race that I ran which was a half marathon the day before I conceived Sidekick. He'll be four in July, so that was a LOOOOONG time ago!) by about 40 seconds.  I wasn't expecting to do that well at all.  I felt good and was so happy that my body could do it, and I hope to concentrate on running again. I don't really enjoy running and never have, but I like the challenge and the sense of accomplishment in the end.

 

So, all in all, we both had a successful experience, and I hope we both get out there again for another race!  (Too bad Sidekick is almost too big for the jogger though.)