For the love of watching my kid run

Dear Kid 1,

I will miss watching you run.

The last run of your track & field season came to an end a few weeks ago. That evening, as I walked along the sidelines crowded with students from different schools cheering on the athletes in this electrifying atmosphere – I thought I was really going to miss all of this! And more importantly, I would miss watching you run amidst this crowd! This was the last run of your high school career.

I am not a runner. Nor do I fully understand the intricacies of your splits, your cadence, or the difference in your 3K or 5K pace. But every time I see you on the track, I am reminded of the person you have become. You’ve always been the first to support a teammate and tell them they had a good run. You’ve learned to be humble in victory and when you didn’t get a PB (which was often) you were gracious in defeat. The way I have seen you grow and mature on the field is beyond words.

The last few years we both have run (pun intended) on a grueling schedule! The cross country season followed by track & field was intense (for both of us), especially with those 5 days a week of training sessions. And yes, I complained – often!

I dreaded waking up at the crack of dawn to drop you off for morning practice. It was always a hectic time making sure your dri-fit clothes were washed and dried, packing a breakfast for you to have at school, and ensuring we had protein bars and bananas always stocked.
This journey hasn’t been an easy one.

We have had to rush to get many X-rays after school (fearing the worst) and have had countless physio appointments. I’ve seen you ice injuries, foam roll, and stretch odd hours at night but never give up.

So many of my evenings were spent waiting in the car outside school or sitting by the track with my book waiting for you to finish training and I would glance up to see you doing your recovery run while talking with your friends and I thought ‘he looks so happy!’.
I would want to rush home to get dinner ready, but you would spend another few minutes talking to your coaches who have been instrumental and beyond brilliant in this journey!
I’ve always been amazed at your commitment, determination, and love for the track. And surprisingly, I never knew my love for track and field, or cross country would grow so deep. With every practice, I saw you push yourself harder. And with every bad run, you always came back stronger, so I will miss seeing you run!

The last race in high school didn’t get you a podium finish or a PB. But after the 1500m you said to me, ‘This is the most effort I have ever put in a race. At no point after the race did, I think I could have pushed myself more or done something different. No regrets.’
And as this journey ends, I have no regrets either. But I will miss this.