Talking with Gabriel about it this morning, he asked me numerous times if he could go with me. I had to regretfully tell him no, I was planning to run too far for him. He asked again and again, and I promised him we would run together, but I had a hilly 7-mile route planned.
Still, this vacation is taking its toll -- the boys were bouncing off the walls yesterday. They really, really needed to get out today.
Then I had a brainstorm in the late morning: take everyone to Rancho San Antonio, I'll run with Gabriel for the first 1.5-mile stretch, going back and forth to touch base with Dave, Julian and Katrina. Then I'd head off for a real run after the first part of the trail. Brilliant! The kids get out, I run with Gabriel, and I get a real run in.
My first instinct, as usual, is to get a photo of all three together. And as usual, Katrina had other ideas.
Gabriel and I started off together, and I was delighted that he had no trouble with the first stretch, which is half a mile of UP. While we waited at the top for Dave to catch up, I showed Gabriel a short, but very steep, hill on the beginning of another trail. Again, no problem.
When Dave caught up, we started on the gradual downhill, with Julian for part of it, and me and Gabriel running ahead for the other part. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see the boys really RUNNING. They really needed it! But Julian wasn't close to keeping up with me and Gabriel, he pooped out fast.
At the end of the trail (at the farm), Katrina got out of the stroller briefly, then demanded to get back in.
Gabriel had done really well running with me, though toward the end of the downhill part he was starting to get tired. I considered taking a shorter route than I'd first planned, and running some more with him, but I'd gotten my heart set on this particular route today. I felt bad, he was really disappointed and wanted to keep running with me, but I was heading out to trails for which there is no easy bailout, and he would have had to keep going for a long, long time. Very few people, even 6-year-olds, run over 7 miles with a 1000-ft elevation gain without some training.
As it turns out, that included me. I had a really tough time, gasping for breath at the top and fighting stitches on the way down. The relatively easy 4-miler I did two days ago was all flat, and led me to believe that I was ready to do hills again. Not really. Not to mention the return of my old foe: twinges of tendonitis in my ankles.
I wasn't the only one wiped out by our foray.
The boys were a lot calmer and manageable this afternoon! Despite my tough run, I feel athletically satisfied for the day. And I'm really happy that I might really have a running partner in Gabriel.
Katrina, on the other hand....she's really been a pill. Dinner went fairly well though. She still sits in the high chair sometimes, but lately more often than not, she insists on sitting on a regular chair, and is OUTRAGED at the suggestion of a booster seat.
I get to be full-time Mom this week! I think that's a good thing.....?
12/28/08
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