The Best Thing

My classroom is where I proudly display my medals. While my bibs are "stored" in a pile on my bedside table, I make sure to hang my medals near my "about me" poster:

It's March and kids are still noticing this for the first time. They're not very observant.

This is a good storage place because it keeps me motivated. But today the best thing happened, and I realized that all my talk about running and displaying my running swag is having a deeper impact than I could have ever guessed.

Last week the kids wrote memoirs about a single life-changing event. I wrote one as an example and shared it. Of course, it was about running. (I'll post it here when I remember to bring it home.)

Today, three girls stayed after class. I assumed they had questions about their upcoming research paper. But no! I was surprised to learn their question was much more meaningful.

"We all have the same question. How did you get into running? We want to start."

I could not keep the grin off my face, and I'm pretty sure I clapped/squealed a little. I told them that I was driven to run by a desperation to have some freedom during grad school, that at first I hated it, but that sticking with it eventually brought on the best kind of addiction. I gave them some simple interval advice, and then had to send them off to their next class.

I hope if they have more questions, they come to me. I'd be happy to help, given the time. More than anything, this really made my day today. Sometimes, they actually listen, and they really can be full of surprises.

ABK

PS: I have stepped into the 21st century and have finally gotten an iPhone! This means running with Nike+ GPS instead of the shoe chip, taking pictures on the run, and having the added safety of actually having a phone on me while I'm running alone. So exciting!