The Arbutus Firecracker 10K can be brutal; the hills, plus July heat and humidity makes for an exhausting 6.2 miles. Even I was feeling a little anxious for them as the minutes ticked on without another runner in sight. I had cheered and clapped for all the runners, and if it wasn't for this father/daughter, I would have thought all the runners were through. I decided to stick with them because the last runner deserves a cheering section like the first runners - maybe even a little more.
The dad assured his daughter Mommy was coming. We chatted about Mom's typical pace and figured out she'd be coming any moment now. Sure enough, we saw Mom's head bobbing over the hill. The little girl squealed, "Here comes Mommy!" She ran up the sidewalk and held up the sign she made. Mommy's pace picked up when she saw her husband and daughter. She kept moving, slowing down enough so they could take her picture, and then kept right on moving.
I don't know what Mommy's final time was but I know this:
Perseverance should be her middle name
She is deeply loved my her husband and daughter, and her family is so proud of her
Her daughter wants to run with Mommy one day
She is showing by example that health is important to her and her family
She showed me that I can do the 10K too - just focus on running my best race and don't worry about comparing my ability to the people leading the pack
Thanks for the reminder and being such a great example, "Mommy." You did your family proud and inspired this girl to stop saying, "Maybe I'll think about doing the 10K next year" and say instead, "I'm DOING the Arbutus Firecracker 10K next year."
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