... a completely no pressure run. Well, no pressure on me to run in any way which means I'm working hard physically. But when you're running with a child, the challenge is far more mental than anything else! Parenting on the run, if that were an Olympic sport, I would be a strong contender for some kind of medal, or at least I'm pretty sure I'd meet the qualifying standard!
It always starts off so well when it comes to running with kids. My littlest is completely up for it and over Christmas had kept on saying 'when's running club on again?', 'why isn't it running club tonight?' and so on. And then, when it comes to it today, he wants to go, but then says he's not going to run fast. Or run at all. To which I say, 'don't worry about coming tonight if you're not feeling up to it, there's always another day', and he groans and says 'oka-a-a-a-ay, I'll come', even though it would be have been entirely fine if he hadn't wanted to!
Anyway, we made it to Sweatshop... and he actually did a fair bit of running. Erratic running! First pretty steady, then sprinting, then steady, then a bit of sprinting... and all the while I'm having to make sure I stay with him. And then there are the bits where he disappears doing some kind of ninja superhero thing by running over walls, through bits of scrubland and up and down any steps / slopes he spots. And at any point what is good fun could turn to tears and 'I can't do thi-i-i-i-i-i-is' wailing. You just never know. Running roulette... at any point... it could be all over. :o)
He managed 2.6 miles in the end. The last half mile was hard work - lots of enthusiasm and encouragement and offers to stop / walk if needed. But he could see the faster runner catching us up (they do a longer loop than us) and he was getting in a panic that he wasn't going to be first back! The joy of being competitive and unrealistic all at the same time. So, we did it. Another mummy and kid run. A rollercoaster of 'this is the best thing ever' to the depths of boy-shaped despair.
But he still wants to go again next week and is thrilled that he's been to enough Sweatshop runs to get his own t-shirt!!
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