What I learned from pacing my six-year-old nephew

I’ve arrived in Nebraska. What a joy it has been to be able to share my passion with those I love here in Omaha.

Just recently, my nephew, Gregory, my sister-in-law, Tina, Candace and myself ran The Road To Omaha Run. It’s part of the NCAA College World Series held in Omaha each year and the name seemed most fitting being we had just arrived from our own road to Omaha the day before.

Race day

We woke to a beautiful, hot and sunny morning– the kind where you can feel the sun’s rays gaining intensity from the moment it pops over the horizon. It was clearly going to be a scorcher, so pacing and hydration were going to be very important for six-year-old Gregory in his first 5K. I was looking forward to helping him pace through it.

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Off we went to meet the gang, and then headed over to Lewis and Clark Landing along the Missouri River, where the race would start and finish. As we arrived we could see hundreds of people gathering. With the U.S. Olympic swim trials being held in Omaha, in addition to the College World Series, the city was buzzing. As we waited in line to pick up our race packages, Gregory, very calmly and patiently, took it all in. He was excited to get his “Road To Omaha Run” t-shirt, and have his mom pin on his race bib — something she’s getting accustomed to with her little runner boy.

Just last month, after completing the kid’s distance of a Memorial Day fun run, he insisted on entering the mile race. Being he had never run that distance on his own, Tina hesitated, but let him go for it. He ran the mile with ease, and was excited to tell us about it over Skype while we were still back in Saskatoon. I was pumped just listening to him and I knew someday I would have a lot of fun running with him. I certainly did during our race in Omaha.

Running with kids

He ran so well, respecting the pace we set and taking his cues to pass left, or right. We thought he may have to take several walking breaks, but that was not the case. I checked in with him frequently to hear how his breathing was. At no point did he seem to be pushing too hard, so we kept running along. The only walking break we took was at the halfway mark where there was a water station.

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The biggest hill of the course was just seconds after the water station. Gregory took it on like a pro, focusing on catching up to his mom who had gone a little bit ahead. As we entered the latter part of the course, Gregory started to anticipate our sprint finish. He was doing a great job of holding back throughout the run and now it was almost time to let it rip.

As the finish line came into sight, I picked up the pace and blast off: he kicked it into another gear, crossing the finish line just over 35 minutes. He had a positive first 5K experience. Mission accomplished.

We picked up some water and recovery drinks and had a solid post-run stretch by the Missouri River. I hope his love of running only continues to grow as he comes to learn more about the sport, and about himself. I feel so fortunate to share my own love of running with him.