Big Thinking

Nine months ago, Mr. UpCyclist asked Lil O if she wanted to do a 10K together in Annapolis, Maryland.  This 10K is a pretty special one as it goes over the famous Chesapeake Bay Bridge and has lovely views of the Chesapeake Bay - a treasure in Maryland.  Lil O agreed and seven months rolled by.

In early September, we returned home from our Colorado summer.  It was time to start training.  For seven weeks, Mr. U and Lil O ran three times a week together.  They started with just one lap around our neighborhood (which is roughly 1.3 miles) and grew from there - their longest training run was the race distance - 6.2 miles.

Jedi, the pup, trained with them every single step of the way.  He literally didn't miss a training run - that sweet dog.

Yesterday, Lil and Mr. U ran the race in a respectably time - 1 hour and 15 minutes.  They ran the entire distance without walking.  Lil O even did a cartwheel when she summited the bay bridge.

Jedi couldn't run the actual race.  There was a no-dog policy.  But, he and I greeted Lil O and Mr. U around mile 5.5.  Jedi was elated to see them running.  In fact, I swear, he would have pulled me on my bare knees to run with them.  He was yelped and howling to get their attention.

A few friends have asked why I didn't do the race, too.  I have two thoughts about this.  First, running isn't my jam.  Sure, I trail run with Jedi, but that's just because I like forests and I have to keep up with his furry self; Jedi's an antelope in the woods.  But, second, I love the fact that Lil O and her daddy shared this special accomplishment together.  Not with me.  Not because of me.  Not anything to do with me.  It was them.

Big thinking is like that.  It isn't always about you or me.

Mr. U and Lil O thought big.  They set a goal.  They worked hard towards that goal.  They endured their fair share of sweat and tears.  And ultimately, they reached their goal together.

I'll blog soon about running with kids (or doing any type of co-training with kids).  I actually think I have a few tips to share on this from being a bystander during their 7-week training.  You can see a sneak peak of their training regimen above.  I'm laughing as I just noticed the giant checkmark on the schedule.  That's Lil O's way of saying, "We did it!"

Congratulations to Lil O and Mr. UpCyclist!  I am so incredibly proud of you both.

As Michael Port writes in Think Big Manifesto (affiliate link), “Big thinking is always, always, always worth the expenditure of energy.”

I totally agree.

xo,

Jen