A milestone reched...when you are beaten by your children...I'm so proud...and old

[Klayfish]

I've posted before that DW and I are very much into fitness and nutrition. Our routines are primarily weightlifting based, it's probably 80% lifting and only 20% cardio. Bodybuilding is our thing much more than distance running. However, we do run a few 5k races per year just for fun. We've had our kids doing sports and being active since they were very little as well. We started letting them do one or two 5k runs with us from the age of about 8. So DS13 has been running them for about 5 years now. He's only done less than 10, as I said we don't do them all that often, as even his exercise is more lifting than cardio.

Well, this past Saturday was the day DS13 will remember forever. He has always wanted to beat me, and this year he was doing a lot of trash talking the weeks leading up to the race. I thought he'd give me a run for my money this year, but didn't think he could beat me. The course has a gradual, but unrelenting long uphill section toward the very end. I figured he'd run out of gas and I'd leave him behind. Nope. He surged ahead before the hill and I never caught up to him. I was only 9 seconds behind him, I was catching him quickly in the last 200 yards, but he held on and beat me fair and square. He finished in 29min 25sec. He was 91st overall in the entire event, out of 675 who entered.

He was heart set on beating me. I'm not the type who would just "let him win" regardless, he had to earn it. To see the look in his face was priceless when he crossed the finish line. I am so proud of him...and at the same time suddenly felt old. But hey, for a guy in his mid-40s who has had surgery on both knees and one hip, I'm impressed I held on this long without him beating me. I promised revenge in the next race, let the smack talk begin!!

P.S. - to add in that DD9 and DS9 both finished in the top 5 for their age group (10 and under). DW chose to "fall on the sword" and keep pace with DD9 and push her hard to keep her motivated.

 

[John VN]

I've posted before that DW and I are very much into fitness and nutrition. Our routines are primarily weightlifting based, it's probably 80% lifting and only 20% cardio. Bodybuilding is our thing much more than distance running. However, we do run a few 5k races per year just for fun. We've had our kids doing sports and being active since they were very little as well. We started letting them do one or two 5k runs with us from the age of about 8. So DS13 has been running them for about 5 years now. He's only done less than 10, as I said we don't do them all that often, as even his exercise is more lifting than cardio.

Well, this past Saturday was the day DS13 will remember forever. He has always wanted to beat me, and this year he was doing a lot of trash talking the weeks leading up to the race. I thought he'd give me a run for my money this year, but didn't think he could beat me. The course has a gradual, but unrelenting long uphill section toward the very end. I figured he'd run out of gas and I'd leave him behind. Nope. He surged ahead before the hill and I never caught up to him. I was only 9 seconds behind him, I was catching him quickly in the last 200 yards, but he held on and beat me fair and square. He finished in 29min 25sec. He was 91st overall in the entire event, out of 675 who entered.

He was heart set on beating me. I'm not the type who would just "let him win" regardless, he had to earn it. To see the look in his face was priceless when he crossed the finish line. I am so proud of him...and at the same time suddenly felt old. But hey, for a guy in his mid-40s who has had surgery on both knees and one hip, I'm impressed I held on this long without him beating me. I promised revenge in the next race, let the smack talk begin!!

P.S. - to add in that DD9 and DS9 both finished in the top 5 for their age group (10 and under). DW chose to "fall on the sword" and keep pace with DD9 and push her hard to keep her motivated.

Congratulations to all!!! Do I see Walt Disney World's Marathon Weekend in the future????

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd16 ran a 5K for the first time at 13, never ran a day in her life. Her time was 25 something, she won her age group. She's a competitive Irish dancer, so has great stamina and is in great shape (with very strong leg muscles). She never really participated in sports. She joined the HS cross country team as a freshman, and got the 3rd varsity spot (and her PR is several minutes lass that that first 5K).

She LOVES running! That last minute 5K entry really changed things up for her. I ran one 5K years ago, I think I managed under 33, which I thought was awesome, since I only showed up to cheer friends on, and someone didn't show up, so I wore that number.

 

[Klayfish]

Congratulations to all!!! Do I see Walt Disney World's Marathon Weekend in the future????

The kids have been begging us to try to find a WDW 5k they can do. I need to find the list of when they all are.

Definitely don't want to do a marathon, or even half marathon. That takes a whole different level of training to really be able to do it competitively. That training would wreck all the bodybuilding work we've done for so long. DW and I trained for a half marathon once...about 6 or 7 years ago. Did not enjoy the training at all, but we were ready. Then...of course...a hurricane was forecast to hit us the day we were supposed to run. Hurricanes almost never strike Pennsylvania...except that day. They cancelled it. We didn't run and didn't want to try training again.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I think my son could've outrun me in a 5K by the time he was 2. He's a junior in high school and runs a 7 minute mile and has always been a fast energetic kid.

Good job to your DS!!! You should definitely look into doing a 5K at WDW. I would like to do one with DD. My son wouldn't go for it. He only runs for basketball, baseball and when he has to do the mile run in school.

 

[cabanafrau]

Great thing for your family to experience together.

 

[Magpie]

Aw, that's such a good feeling!

We're not athletes in our family, but I do remember how it felt when I realized my kids had surpassed me in their areas of interest. I still remember my daughter, still in high school, standing in my kitchen excitedly telling me about something she was doing in science class, and I was just looking at her thinking, "I don't understand your words, but I love listening to you!"

 

[soccerdad72]

We're not runners either, but do one 5K a year for a charity my wife is on the board of. My older son, the first year we ran it (he was around 14), didn't train at running at all and did pretty well, but since we started as a family towards the back, he said the first mile was spent bobbing and weaving through people. I think he ran it in around 25, but said he probably lost a minute along the way.

The next year, with a lot more running training (preparing for high school soccer) and starting at the front, he was around 21 minutes and was second in his age group.

I was happy enough to finish under 30 - and still nearly got passed by the top 10K runners.

 

[lorimay]

I'm laughing about this, I remember my son telling my husband not to let him win when they played basketball when he was young.
He wanted to win fair and square.

I also remember them rough housing through the years and me telling my husband "don't hurt him".
They still rough house, now its the other way around, I tell my son "don't hurt your father". Fun times.....

 

[usnuzuloose]

How priceless and what memories. I miss doing a 5k now and then. I hope someone got pictures of you two crossing the line....

 

[John VN]

The kids have been begging us to try to find a WDW 5k they can do. I need to find the list of when they all are.

Definitely don't want to do a marathon, or even half marathon. That takes a whole different level of training to really be able to do it competitively. That training would wreck all the bodybuilding work we've done for so long. DW and I trained for a half marathon once...about 6 or 7 years ago. Did not enjoy the training at all, but we were ready. Then...of course...a hurricane was forecast to hit us the day we were supposed to run. Hurricanes almost never strike Pennsylvania...except that day. They cancelled it. We didn't run and didn't want to try training again.

DW and I are not runners or even joggers. At 60yo in 2010 we decided to walk the Marathon Weekend 5K Family Fun Run. We walked from our campsite at Fort Wilderness to WL at 5am to catch the bus to EPCOT. We had a BLAST even though it was in the low 40'sF. We left WDW on Sunday morning and saw the thousands approaching HS soon to be finishing their Mickey Marathon and I mentioned to DW that I would be doing that in 1 year. We both trained and in 2011 we walked the 5K again on Friday then the Donald Half Marathon on Saturday and I walked the Mickey Marathon on Sunday at 61 with knees strapped due to bone on bone in 4:56:28.

Give the kids the TIME OF THEIR LIVES and just DO IT!!!! Go to Run Disney http://www.rundisney.com/ for races. ENJOY!!!