Why I Will Always Run: Eight Words My Three-Year-Old Said to Me
It was the day of the timed mile for my running group. I had been a part of this running group for two years, and I loved it. I loved it so much, in fact, I volunteered as a running coach for the organization.
That day I had my three-year-old girl, Scarlett, in tow. Scarlett came with me to group runs when her Dad had to work late and couldn’t get home in time. An easy-going kid, during the runs, she would quietly hang out in her jogging stroller while I pushed it along.
After our warm-up, our group's head coach came over to me and offered to watch Scarlett while I gave the timed mile my all.
I was ready to crush my previous mile time and get my dry heaves on, so I gratefully accepted her offer. But then I felt a slight tug on my shorts. I looked down, and there was Scarlett in her pink skirt, tank top, denim jacket, and teal Nike shoes staring up at me with the saddest of eyes. She whispered,
But, Mom, I want to run. Like you.
Those eight words filled my Mother Runner eyes with the happiest of tears.
So run we did. Scarlett ran the whole thing. My girl, who turned 3 two days prior, ran a mile. I was bursting with so much pride that I could have done cartwheels during the entire 5,280 feet. At one point, I chuckled to myself while she took her jean jacket off and tied it around her waist, like a proper runner.
We crossed the one-mile marker in 14 minutes and 21 seconds.
I keep her mile time in my notes on my phone to remind me what she saw in me. That day, my little girl didn’t see me as just her mom doing this running thing; she saw me as someone she wanted to be like — a runner. Those eight words she said that day are etched into me.
That was five years ago. Since then, Scarlett has run with me multiple times. Sometimes she’ll complain about running; other times, she sees how fast she can go. We will have what she refers to as “girl” talk while we run or chat about her day.
Scarlett's longest run to date is 4.6 miles. We completed it together during a frosty afternoon two winters ago. I didn’t accomplish that kind of mileage until I was in my twenties. She did it at six.
This is why I run.
As a parent, it can feel as though taking the precious little free time allotted to you during the day, and using it on yourself, is selfish. The inner voice that second-guesses our worthiness as mothers or fathers will sometimes tell us we don’t deserve it. Obliterate that voice. Take the damn time.
Go for the run or the bike ride or the swim or the hike. The little eyes are always watching, and you never know, they may join you.
