Unicycle Run

What a strange title for a post, right? 😉 You’re just going to have to read on to find out why!

First off, I want to mention that I gave into temptation on Wednesday at work.  I had a donut.  Not just any donut, either–a cake donut straight from the local cider mill.  Holy carb-love, Batman–do I love cider mill donuts.  No frosting, no sugar, nothing but all that fattening, delicious dough, crispy on the outside from all the oil it’s fried in, and chewy on the inside from all of the evil goodness that lurks within.

We were having a celebration at work and they brought in cider and donuts. I debated not having a donut for about .01272 seconds before I said, “Screw it.”  I picked it up and took it back to my desk.  But here’s the kicker–before I put it in my mouth (and let me tell you, it really wanted to jump into my mouth the minute my fingers touched it), I sat down at my desk and looked up the points value via the Weight Watchers eTools.  I think I left a cup and a half of drool on my keyboard while I went though this process, anticipating that donut better than Pavlov’s dog, but I knew I had to look before I ate.  Just in case the damn thing turned out to be 15 points or something.  Oh, who I am kidding…I would’ve still eaten it if it was 15 points.  😉  It turned out to be six points.  And it was good. Damn good.

Anyway, I make this declaration because sometimes I feel like my posts make me sound like I’m a Stepford Weight Watchers member, the kind that never struggles and can follow the plan in their sleep (and can probably do the 30-Day Shred in their sleep, too).  That is so, so not me.  But I try not to focus on food too much, which is why I don’t talk about it a ton in my blog.  Still, some days, I am faced with cider mill donuts, and I give in.  The important thing is that I tracked it and adjusted my points accordingly for the rest of the day. (IE, I ate less for dinner and totally skipped the wine–a punishment in and of itself.)

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Okay, done with the food talk.  Back to healthy things like running!

DS#1 and I went for another run last night after I got home from work.  He really wanted to do three full miles, but I was very hesitant to have him run that far, since it was still pretty warm and humid.  So, instead we determined that we’d do 2.75 miles, which I felt was plenty far enough.

We had a rough start to the evening, which had nothing to do with running and everything to do with his lack of communication and organization regarding school.  We have had this issue for the past few years, and I was frustrated that it had already started on the second full day of school.  We argued in the car on the way to the Metropark, and I had to lecture him about being responsible, which I hate doing.

However, once we got to the park for our run, we both put our issues aside and concentrated on our run.  That’s one nice thing about running with him–it’s something enjoyable we do together, and even when we are arguing about something else, we both can put it aside and focus on running as a positive experience that we do together.

As we started our run, we talked about his English assignment (the unfinished one that was due the next morning that had us arguing in the car).  His task was to find 5-10 items that he felt represented him and his personality, and put them in a box to take to school the next day.  He had to write a few sentences about each item, and then give a presentation on the items in class.  While we ran, we talked over the items he would include.  He started off with a hockey puck (of course!), a baseball card (he plays baseball, too), and a flash drive (he likes computers). He then surprised me by suggesting a shoelace–“Because I run, Mom!” he insisted. “When I talk about it tomorrow in class, I’ll tell them that I’m a runner and that I ran 2.75 miles last night!”  It made me smile to hear him talk about it so proudly. 🙂

We did our run in the Metropark where I did my first two mile run, and we passed over the bridge that I had been so excited to cross back then.  Even on my second run in this park, I was excited to cross the bridge.  It’s silly, I know, but I think bridges are cool to run on. 🙂  And this one happens to be very nicely built and the spot over the river is very pretty.  I have wanted to get a picture of the bridge ever since my first run there, but it’s so far down the path from where I park my car, I’ve never had the energy to lug my camera back to it after a run. 😉

Last night, however, I saw a prime opportunity–I let DS#1 go ahead of me and I paused just long enough to get a shot with my phone.

Ha! I know it’s not very exciting, and I swear someday I will get a good picture of this bridge, but at least now you have some visual indication of it. 😉

DS#1 did a great job.  We talked through quite a bit of the run, and I discovered that he really does have a lot of interesting things to say when I can get him to stop playing hockey, watching TV, or goofing around on the computer.

We did a simple out and back, and not long after our turnaround, as we were coming back across the bridge, we saw a few bikers coming in the opposite direction.  I instinctively moved closer to him when the first ones came by, and then, as we were on the top of the bridge, my son suddenly said, “Clap, Mom!” And to my surprise, he started clapping!  I asked him what he was doing and he pointed up ahead to the biker coming toward us.

“That guy’s on a unicycle, Mom. We should applaud him!”

Sure enough, I looked up just in time to see a guy on a unicycle whiz past us.  He was even coming uphill onto the bridge!  I clapped too, and although I don’t know if he actually heard us, I have to say I was extremely proud of my little 10-year-old son for wanting to show that unicyclist his admiration and offer him encouragement.  He has a big heart, that kid. 😀

On the way back, we joked about the fact that most people probably don’t see a unicyclist when they run, and DS#1 said that we should forever call this run, “The Unicycle Run.”  I promised him we would, and that I would even give my blog post that title. 😉

The last 3/4 a mile was hard for him, because there turned out to be several slightly uphill stretches, but he pushed through.  When we rounded the corner of the trail and saw the car, DS#1 yelled out, “I see it! We’re almost there!”  I knew he was tired and hot, but he pushed on and then, when the Garmin read 2.75, he stopped and, just like last time, collapsed on the ground while I went to get his water.

I checked out the Garmin, and I was thrilled to tell him that he beat his past for all of his previous long (2+ mile) runs–a sub-11 pace!

He was so tired, it took him a while to get up, and he complained when I made him get up for a picture with his dear old mom. 😉

He still looks a bit shell-shocked in that shot.  However, once he caught his breath, he insisted that I let him roll himself down the sledding hill, ha ha. 😉

Sometimes, being ten years old has its advantages. 😉

This will be his last long run until his 5k a week from Sunday.  We’re both very excited–I am confident in his abilities, and I know it’s going to be a great boost to his self-esteem when he finishes.

And I suspect that afterward, we will both go to the cider mill for a donut. 😉

Thanks so much for reading!