GRAND Magazine - June 2009 - (Page 32)
Running together By Sally WendkoS oldS The joy of sharing a sport with a grandchild T stefan and sally have been jogging together since stefan was 8. he firsT Time i jogged with my grandson, Stefan, he was 8 and I was 57. I had been running every morning for a dozen years, entering local road races, and sometimes even coming in first in my age group, a development that I, a nonathlete all my life, have never ceased to be amazed by. Stefan challenged me to a race, and to no one’s surprise, he beat me handily, and then said, “I don’t know how you got all those prizes”—trophies I’d won in age categories— “but you’re not fast!” I told him, “I race against other old ladies.” Whether it was that victory over this more experienced, albeit creakier, runner that inspired him to great lengths, I don’t know. I do know that he continued to run in the hills around his home; that, as a teenager, he entered and finished a triathlon involving running, biking and swimming (with no preparation for the event, which horrified me, but that’s the difference between young muscles and those of greater longevity); and that one of the high points in my career as a grandmother, and as a runner, came when the two of us ran the four-mile (6.4 kilometer) New Year’s Eve Midnight Run in New York’s Central Park, sponsored by the New York Road Runners Club . Stefan, his grandfather and I drove into Manhattan for an early light dinner and a movie and then made our way to Central Park. As we walked into the park, we could hear loud rock music, and when I could see Stefan keeping time to the beat, I could tell he felt he was in the right place. We hung around the bandstand, danced a little, rattled our noisemakers and then lined up to see the costume parade, which gets more outrageous every year. At the stroke of midnight, fireworks exploded in the Manhattan sky and the race was on. My husband, not a runner, stayed to watch and take photos, and Stefan and I moved along with the throng. He slowed his pace so I could keep up with him, and we stopped every now and then at the champagne depots along the course, which replaced the usual race-course water stops. From time to time he would look at me and grin and say, “I can’t believe I’m doing this with my grandmother!” For years, this race has been my favorite way of celebrating New Year’s, and sharing it with Stefan made it the best ever. Every time I wear the bright blue Tshirt we received that night, I see Stefan in my mind’s eye, running next to me, making sure we’re together on the path. G 32 GRAND JUNE 2009 Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol:
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - June 2009
GRAND Magazine - June 2009
Contents
GRAND Central
Poppy Joe
A Whole New Ball Game
Happy Trails
Pool Safe
Running Together
Notes from the Peanut Gallery
Ask GRAND
Inspirations
Leaving a Legacy
Writing Small Moments
Resources
GRAND Finale
GRAND Magazine - June 2009
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