First off, as you can see, this episode of me being a Sporty Dad is sequentially numbered from the previous ones. I felt that I needed to start doing this, because with the numbers going everywhere, I did not want people to think that I was traveling through time doing all of these events. So from this day forth, the numbers will be in order. 

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let me tell you what’s been going on with my #RoadtoSpartan training. In last month’s episode I mentioned that I was going to run the Soldier Field 10 mile. Well, unlike my previous run, I did not run this one in khakis and I actually was training for this run for weeks before the run. 

I broke the cycle of not preparing for these runs and I owe that all to signing up for the Chicago Marathon and my running partner, my cousin’s husband Jorge. We try to run together a few times a week and I try running in the mornings after I drop my daughter off at school somedays. Usually,  I’ll drop her off, do some chores at home and then go running. 

Usually on the days of a run I wake up feeling nervous that I did not train enough, but on this day I was tired and sleepy, but I knew I was ready for the run. I got to Soldier Field bright and early and knew that even if I was tired, I was going to try my best. 

While waiting for the run to begin, I had some fun by looking at the stage that was set up from the Beyonce concert that was held the night before. I forgot my headphones at home and joked about using the stage speakers, but luckily I found an extra pair in my car. As I walked around seeing all the runners getting ready, I noticed some of the families sitting in the stands with their signs for their loved ones that were running. 

Was I a little sad that my family was not there to cheer me on? Yeah, but maybe they’ll join me next year. Plus, I don’t think my son wants to wake up at six in the morning just to see his dad run. I think he would only wake up that early to eat a waffle and then go back to sleep. My son loves to eat. 

Before every race that I run I make sure to take the obligatory photo with my running bandana on. I have had this bandana for over 5 years and I wish there was a way I could get another one. I don’t know how many more races it will last. Maybe I should start thinking of something new to do for my next run. We’ll see what I can come up with. 

Along with keeping the tradition of the bandana, I also write on my hand the hashtag #Dads4Oren. I made a promise to myself to dedicate every run I do to my friend Oren Miller because of the community of Dad Bloggers he created and for being an inspiration to all of us. I feel like I can accomplish anything when I see his name on my hand and I think I get powers from it. Yeah, that’s it! He gives me superpowers. 

Ten miles to run. Did I run all of them? I did not. The day was a little warmer than I expected and the heat slowed me down a little. Plus, I also made the mistake of wearing a long sleeve shirt underneath my shirt and that made me burn up too. All together I would say that maybe I walked about a mile out of the ten, but I know that next year I will run the entire thing. 

The great part of this race is finishing on the 50 yard line of Soldier Field and getting my medal placed on me by a service man or woman. It kind of makes my pain feel minute for a moment when I get that medal. Here I am complaining about running in heat, but these men and women are putting their lives on the line to make sure we have the freedoms that many of us take for granted. I envy these people and I thank them for everything that they do. 

Even though the race has ended, I am already thinking about next year. Maybe, I can get some of you to join me in it or possibly some shorter runs. I think it would be cool to create a friends of Fandads team and tackle a few of these races together. Would you guys like to do that? Let me know in the comments and let’s see where this leads. 

Thanks for reading.