My Inspiration

I have always been a runner. I didn't know it until I was 36. I was thinking about who got me running and first and foremost it was my father. As a child, he wanted to get into shape and we would go to the local track as a child. He would run his 2 miles and I would would run around a couple of times and then spend my time splashing in the puddles of the pole vault pit and bounce on the rubberized mats for the pole vault landing zone. As I got older, I would run a couple of laps while he did and as I got into high school we would run together.

There are a couple of points that stand out in my memory about running with my father. One thing he said to me was that he could not run really fast. That sat well with me as well because I have never been fast. But, he said that he could run forever. I could always run far. Thus far in my training I am just figuring out how far I can go.

The second thing that I received from him regarding running is the patience to coach students. Right now with the running club at our school, I encourage all the children to do more than they think they are able to. I am really pushing the students in our club to be able run the 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I really believe that they will be able to complete it, which for some of my students will be a real accomplishment. However, it was through his patience that I was able to develop my own and see running for what it is, a way to make a person better than they already are. I believe that these and any children can attain a goal that they don't yet know they are able to.

Thanks Dad.