Left in the dust

This was our family's second year participating in the "Race for the Cure." Originally, we had not made plans to run the race this year. Kyle called me 2 weeks prior and said that his firm was promoting it this year and they would pay for our registration, would I want to run? Can I just say other than running at the beach this summer I haven't gotten back into my running routine since having Reese, not to mention I am nursing the wee babe. Yet, I agreed. We signed up for the 5k non-competitive run. Like we would compete with 3 kids in a jogger stroller, right? I got 2 runs in in preparation. That means I ran around the lake in our neighborhood. Not a big lake. A man made lake. You can probably see where this is going. The race started out with us as one big happy family but it didn't end that way. Even after Kyle asked how I was doing after the first mile and I said, "Good. I'll probably run the first mile and want to walk a little of the 2nd". (To my good friend Leslie, are you so ashamed to have trained for a 1/2 with me and this is what I have amounted to? You must move back here.) Kyle's response, "that's fine we're doing this as a family I'm not going anywhere". Fast forward 5 minutes and I kid you not I can't even see him through the crowd any longer. I can't recall exactly how it happened but after walking together for a bit I picked up me feet and started running again along side Kyle. We started weaving in and out of walkers and runners alike (mind you 30,000 people attended) and pretty soon my eyes where jumping around looking for a caucasian pushing a purple stroller with my 3 kids in it. He left me. He didn't even look back. We hadn't talked about this! We hadn't made any plans for "in case we get separated." My cell was in the jogger stroller with him. I guess we meet at the car? I guess I'll miss out on crossing the finish line with my kids (they love to get out and run across the finish line). I guess I'll miss seeing my kids faces light up as they funnel through all of the tents handing out free stuff after crossing the finish line. Did I mention that's the real reason we run the race? I guess I'll celebrate crossing the finish line with some newly made friends on the run? What? I am so frustrated but of course I can't channel that frustration in to running faster. So, I am a wimp and a loner. I dig deep and run the rest of the race. I cross the finish line alone and start looking for my little family again. Easily, I find them on the side of the road and everything is fine. We make the stroll down "free be" lane together. This is were I begin to, sarcastically, remind Kyle that he left his poor wife behind and that a real "leader" looks out for the "follower", blah, blah, blah, and then I remember I married the most competitive man alive and I wrongly assumed that he checked his competitiveness at the car when he pulled out the jogger stroller and loaded 3 kids into it! Whatever! We had a great time. Jaden and Ty both took turns running along side us. It was adorable to watch their determination to keep up with us.

Your eyes have not deceived you. Those are, in fact, soccer cleats on Ty's feet! He is the man.









Ahh, the reunion.