Day 4 of the streak. Proud to keep the Old School, Will Ferrell, "Going Streaking" quotes going! Baxter the Dog and I once again took to the pavement around 7pm through a light drizzle. I very intelligently wore black shorts and a black wind shirt to go with my black dog on a run on a cloudy, drizzly evening in May. My neighbor saw me as we turned the corner coming home and just shook his head at my stupidity. I can hear myself talking to Noah in a couple of years, giving him the proverbial, "Do what I say, not what I do," speech....hopefully I possess the character to not have to. Ignoring the poor choice in clothing this evening, the run went well and, dare I say, got a tiny bit easier again tonight after last night's setback. Baxter seemed to be back at full speed too. I don't want to give the wrong idea, but running through the light rain was actually somewhat peaceful and I didn't hate it. A nice time to just think.
What did I think about? The Fitness Challenge we all had to do as kids in gym class, of course. Remember? Sit 'n Reach, Pull-Ups, Sit-Ups and the Mile Run. I have quickly learned that my mile run is not quite at the level it was in high school...sadly, not at the level it was in grade school either. My buddies at work and I have talked about this sporadically over the past few years - how would we do if we were to compete in the Fitness Challenge in our current physical state? We actually talked about giving ourselves one month to train and then putting ourselves through the challenge together. Never happened, but entertaining to consider. So, the mile run that I have started my streak with got me thinking about this and - oddly enough as I plodded through the rain - how I would do today versus Noah in the Fitness Challenge. Here's my quick breakdown of the four events:
1. Sit 'n Reach - Noah would absolutely crush me, not even close. He, like all babies, is incredibly flexible - and I mean incredible in its purest definition. Noah 1-0-0, Dad 0-1-0 (watching the Bruins has inspired me to include the ties).
2. Pull-Ups - draw. We would both do 0. Noah has a good excuse, he's a pudgy little baby yet to develop upper-body strength. I have no excuse. Noah 1-0-1, Dad 0-1-1.
3. Sit-Ups - I have to go with Noah again here. He works his abs all day long - trying to sit up at pretty much every opportunity he gets. Pretty sure he has a baby six pack under all that flab. He can't quite go from lying on his back to sitting yet, but I think in a sit-up competition he would be tough to beat. Noah 2-0-1, Dad 0-1-1.
4. The Mile Run - draw on a technicality. Obviously, at 7 months old, Noah cannot stand-up on his own, let alone run. So, were we to do the mile run together, he'd be in "The Bob" (as previously mentioned here, a great piece of machinery) and I'd be pushing. So, I would try to maneuver to win at the finish line, but realistically, I'm only going to be able to get even with the stroller in a best-case-scenario. I can be cagey when needed, so I'll give myself the tie. Final score: Noah 2-0-2, Dad 0-2-2.
I must admit, I have often thought about how Noah will do when he really goes "into the gymnasium". I have played a variety of sports my entire life and was (and I stress "was") a pretty good athlete growing up. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of our family at the park together - my Dad pitching to me until it was dark or hitting me fly-balls until I was dizzy. As the weather gets warmer and the Red Sox season heats up, I can't help but hope to be able to do the same with Noah someday. In the grand scheme of things, I realize it doesn't matter, but sports have been and continue to be a big part of my life and I want to be able share that with him. What will it take for that to happen? There is no way to know at this point. But, as long as he is up for it - and I think he will be - I will be at his side, working hard each and every day, and streaking right into that gymnasium.
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