The Boy Gots Wheels

My brother and I went to the track last night for our traditional "last timed mile of the season".

What? I can't call it "traditional" because this is the first time we've done it? Well, OK, then, it's our "First Annual Last Timed Mile of the Season", then. Happy?

The good news is that I finished an entire mile without any new injuries. Oh, I'm sure I looked funny, and probably evoked thoughts of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" among any spectators...but I finished it. The bad news is that both my brother and my son ran past me as if I were standing still.

Well, to be honest, it wasn't that bad. Pat only beat me by about a minute, and Tanner didn't actually finish the entire mile. He ran the first quarter with Pat, then sat down and waited for me to pass by, then got up and zipped past me to beat me to the half mile by about 20 seconds. But then he sat down again, and let me run the rest of the way without the humiliation of having a peachfuzz-faced guy in cargo pants and velveteen street shoes storm around me like Jesse Owens passing Raymond Burr.

After the mile, we cooled down a bit, then ran a 100-yard dash. Why time a 100? I have no idea.

I have to admit that I was surprised by the results there. Pat has been working on his sprint speed, and has track experience. Tanner is just young and tall...which I didn't think would be enough of an advantage. But it was -- he beat Pat by almost 2 full seconds, and bested my time by a full 5. The kid is pretty fast. Maybe I shouldn't feel so bad when he beats me at tennis. He's got some natural quickness.

And just to finish off the evening in proper fashion, we also decided to run up the side of the hill. Tanner won that one easily, too, beating the best times that Pat and I had previously managed by over 10 seconds. Trying to catch him, though, inspired us each to beat our previous best times, too.

It was a good evening, all around. We may go back to the track next week, but if the weather doesn't cooperate, it's no big deal. We've got the Sheepherders running series coming up, so that'll serve as "speed work" as the days get shorter.

My current challenge, though, it to convince Tanner that he should run on a regular basis. I think he'd enjoy entering some races, and maybe even joining us for the Sheepherder's series. He claims that his only desire for running is so that he can play Ultimate Frisbee with his buddies, but I'll keep working on him. He might become a real runner yet.

I'll keep you posted. In the mean time, get outside and enjoy the remaining few summer evenings, OK? Have a great day!