Run, for fun?!

One of the most humbling reality checks for a guy approaching 40 is to realize that the level of physical fitness he may have enjoyed in his 20's is mostly obliterated by 15 years behind a desk and computer screen. After high school, I was a steady 170. At 38, I've put on another 45. Of course, I've no one to blame. After the kids were born, my days of playing 2-4 softball games a week were over, and I simply didn't do what I needed to do to stay in shape. I am trying to eat better (and less), and while that has helped in dropping the first 6-9 pounds, I've got a long way to go. Of course, that last sentence implies that I actually have a goal. Which I don't, really, unless of course, the goal is less.

I thought about this again recently, as my 20th high school reunion came and went without my presence. (I attended my 10th, and was somewhat underwhelmed, so attending the 20th wasn't a high priority). Besides, the reunion conflicted with already set plans for a vacation in Orlando. The vacation was okay, but the highlight was actually a 3K run/walk called Disney's Race for the Taste. The main event for the generally insane was a 10K that went between parks, but we opted for the 3K, which was confined to Epcot.

Now, I've told anyone who cares to listen a thousand times just how much I dislike distance running. Give me a glove and bat and a ball field, and I'll run. But running/jogging is not what I consider "fun." Just ask my knees. So why was this event the highlight of the trip?

My oldest son doesn't have the same level of interest my younger son has for team sports. However, he does like to run, and he appears to be built for it physically (he doesn't have my knock-kneed physique). Thinking that perhaps he might be interested in cross-country someday, we decided to enter the 3K portion of the Race for the Taste. Once we paid the registration fee, that meant that we had committed ourselves, and that meant training. So as a family, we ventured out to a local 1/4 mile track several times over a period of about 6 weeks, gearing up for the 3K. And that required getting this no-longer-20 body out on a track, while my oldest ran circles around me. But the preparation was important, and proved helpful. The crowd and the width of the track made it somewhat difficult to maintain a consistent pace, and by no means were we able to run the whole thing. In fact, I figure we probably only ran a max of 3/4 mile in spurts. But we were able together to complete the 3K race around Epcot in 30 minutes.

So why was this the highlight of the trip? A couple of reasons: 1) We ran as a family. I was surprised to discover that running/training with someone is better for me than doing it alone. 2) It was a real race with a finish line, rather than just running circles around a track. 3) We had to push ourselves to make our goal time of 30 minutes. Surprisingly, that felt good. 4) Finally, I got to run with my son, and together, we did ourselves proud.

Of course the question remains, do we continue? There are any number of local races and opportunities. I still don't like to run. But if my son remains interested, I won't refuse. And just maybe it would help me get into better shape.

Sigh. My knees are going to just love me.