A fast 5K
Nothing can stop a 10-year-old with a plan
The day before our race, my son told me his goal was to “run fast.” Sure, sure, I thought, but let’s be smart about this. I know you can run fast, but can you sustain a fast pace for 3.1 miles? He thought about it for a minute and said, “Yep.”
In the back of my mind, I was thinking ambition might not be the best strategy for our local 5K. While we managed to get in a few 3-4 mile runs together in late August, we haven’t run at all since school started in September.
My son was unbothered. He knew he could run a strong race because he already had a 5K under his belt from last March. He also knew he could run fast because he left me in the dust during one of those August runs after dropping a sub-8 minute mile out of nowhere.
So, I knew he was capable, and I also knew that once he sets his mind to something he will do everything he can to achieve his goal. (He gets that from his mom, by the way.)
What I didn’t count on was that he had actually developed an entire strategy around running a fast race. He knew when to cook and when to chill because he remembered every hill and straightaway from the last time we ran the course. As it turned out, all I really needed to do was carry the water and make sure I could keep up with him.
