How running changed when my boys laced up beside me
When I first started running all those years ago, I didn’t have kids. I had all the free time in the world to lace up and head out whenever I wanted. I could go for hours, logging nine-mile training runs just because I felt like it. Running was simple then. It was mine alone.
Now, I run with my boys. And running looks nothing like it used to. Distances are shorter, routes are more limited, and the pace is never really my own. Some days I slow down for them. Most days, they leave me in the dust. Nothing happens on a whim anymore. Every run requires a plan, three sets of gear, and enough patience to get everyone out the door.
A couple of Sundays ago was a perfect example. They didn’t want to go at all. I argued with them, insisting that we needed the exercise. They eventually gave in, more out of my stubbornness than their own enthusiasm. And yet, as soon as we hit the trail, Caleb took off like the wind. I told him to turn around at the one-mile marker so we’d hit two miles total. He shot back: “You said we could do four miles.”
We compromised, going further than I’d planned but not quite four. For me, it was brutal. Shin splints flared so badly I could barely manage more than a walk. But I kept moving, because Caleb pushed me to.
The next morning, my legs ached so much I hobbled around the house. And yet, the same boys who didn’t want to run the day before were already begging to go again. I told them it was my rest day. They pleaded. I gave in. We went, me walking stiffly while Holden and I shared a pair of AirPods. He queued up songs, requesting one after another (so much Huntrix), while we paused for breaks. Caleb charged ahead, waiting for us at the end of the trail.
It’s not the same as those solo long runs I used to love, and at times I miss the solitude and silence. But what I have now is something else entirely. Running isn’t just mine anymore... it’s ours. It’s messy, complicated, full of arguments and compromises. But it’s also laughter, music, and little legs pushing me further than I thought I could go.
And in the end, that feels like the better race to run.
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