the apple tree

Yesterday was an exciting day in our household, and not just because I was able to walk upright (barely) after doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred for the first time on Sunday afternoon. No, the excitement was all about running, of course!

Addison had her very first kids running program session last night! Our local running shop has a 6 week program that prepares kids to run either a one mile fun run or (for older kids) a 5K. Really the aim of the program is to teach running fundamentals, get kids moving, and hopefully begin to develop a love for running in the kids at an early age.

When I cautiously told her about the program, praying she'd want to do it totally prepared for my princess to be offended at the mere suggestion, I was beside myself that she was super excited and immediately wanted to sign up. I tried to hide my enthusiasm and not put any pressure on her if she really didn't want to do it, but nothing melts this mommy's heart like, "I want to run like you Mommy!"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I run. I run for myself, sure, but when those REALLY tough miles hit and the hills climb steeper and steeper, that's when I always think the most about my kids.

I run to show my kids to be strong, to be healthy, and to never quit on their dreams. We can tell a million things to our kids, but our actions always always speak louder than words. Cheesy? Of course. True? You bet.

I'm happy to say that maybe my apples indeed haven't fallen too far from my tree and we will someday be able to connect and run some of those tough miles side by side. This mommy can only hope.

Now if I could only figure out a way to effectively shrink my ever growing trunk........

Happy Running!