Remembering what we're here for

This weekend marks the first 5k/10k of the Spring racing season here where we live. This race actually marks the 5th anniversary of my first road race ever. Five years ago, I stretched myself (psychologically) and entered the Celebrity Classic 10k, and I can still remember the knots in my stomach as that race drew near.

Fast forward five years, and I'm close to 6,000 miles farther along in my pursuit of this running "thing", and my competitive drive has grown exponentially with each passing mile. There is nothing I look forward to more than a race in which I can see how many people I can pass, how much faster I can run it than in previous years, and which place I will finish in...what can I say - it's just part of being a "guy", you know?

So, as the 2010 Celebrity Classic 5k/10k draws near, I have been once again looking forward to another great opportunity to perhaps finish on the podium for my age group, and to surely set a new 10k PR. As I have been going through these plans in my head, my oldest son, Joshua, continues to remind me that he is going to run the 5k by himself.

Great job, Josh. You'll do great.

But then...

A few days back, my wife (who is clearly the "brains" side of this marriage) mentions to me that perhaps it would mean a great deal to our son if I were merely to run the 5k with him. She told me about how much it would mean to him to run with Dad, and that his entry into running was likely due to his striving to be like me.

Wow.

I quickly realized that she was right. I could easily rationalize in my pea-sized head that Joshua WANTS to run his 5k alone, but it just doesn't hold water. I also realized that it was time for me to lay down personal ambition for something far more precious to me; love for our boys. Raising them to be the young men God created them to be is our most paramount priority in this lifetime, and my spending 3.1 miles of sidewalk alongside our 11 year old son is going to yield a treasure to me that will far outlive any finishers medal I will ever receive.

Thanks for reminding me what we are here for in the first place...