To My Amazing Boy

To Gavin,

You are capable. You are strong. You are, simply, amazing.

Yesterday you ran an amazing race. 6:24 for the 1500m, a track distance you had never run before. Nerves started getting the better of you as it came time to warm up. You were nervous that there was no one your age running, that you were certain to be last. The fact that there may not be any team mates, even older ones, running in your heat made you even more insecure. I love the fact that being on the track with your team is a reassuring thought, I'm so glad you feel a part of the team and like it's a community for you.

I came to give you a little pep talk. I reminded you of your training. How you had run 3.5 miles on Friday, a 1500 was no big deal. That it didn't matter if you were last, you had already won the race because you were the only kid your age running it. That all you could do, was do your best. Try to stay with the pack, and run the whole race. That's all you had to do.

I was so nervous at the start of the race. The gun went off and it took me a second to hit the button on the stop watch. All age groups, boys and girls, all running together. The group quickly spread out and you distanced yourself from a kid behind you. As the gap widened, I breathed a silent sigh of relief that you wouldn't be last. Not that it would have bothered me, but I knew it helped your confidence to have someone behind you. You passed by me, looking strong.

During the second lap around the track, you started closing in on the next kid in front of you. Two laps down. You passed him on the curve down by the start line. You looked strong, and I realized you could finish this thing out. I could see the wheels turning in your head, making adjustments to your form as you started to get tired.

As you passed by me for the third time, you were going back and forth with a girl you had caught up to, one taking the lead from the other, back and forth. You sped up as you went by me, thinking you were on the home stretch, but you still had one more lap to go. Oops!

You held on to the last lap. You looked beautiful gliding around that track, you didn't even make it look hard. You passed by me for the last time. 100 meters to go, give it everything you have Gav, go!!

I looked at my stopwatch hitting the 6 min mark and asked Aidan's mom, this is the last lap right??

I clocked you at under 6:23 but given my delay in starting, I'm guessing it was more like 6:24. That time is incredible. I almost cried.

But what is more incredible is that you proved to yourself that you could do it. You went out there and you took a risk and you did something that was uncomfortable. That you were afraid of. You'd set a goal to run this race earlier in the week and you nailed it and then some. Not every risk you take will work out so incredibly. I can only hope that this accomplishment gives you the confidence to keep taking them. I hope you know that working hard reaps rewards, as you put in a lot of good work in your work outs this last week. I hope you know that there are so many people that love you and are cheering for you, and that we are so proud of you, no matter what the outcome, if you give it your all.

You inspire me, my sweet boy. Heck, you make me want to go run track workouts and I hate track workouts!

To my amazing boy, with all my love and a heart full of pride,

I love you