For the past fourteen years I have known exactly where I would be at 10:00 a.m on the 2nd Sunday of August - the Falmouth Road Race. (the race changed from the third Sunday to the second Sunday several years ago.) If you are unfamiliar with Falmouth, it is located on Cape Cod, a short ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard and a favored vacation spot in the summer for locals and travelers alike.
This year I ran for the third time as a father to triplets and it was my first year running for the Spina Bifida Association (I had run previously to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation). In addition, I was running on the least amount of sleep I had ever had before a race as our girls woke up screaming at 4:00 a.m. More details on our wonderful Sunday morning are forthcoming in Sarah's blog.
Anna,the second oldest of my daughters has spina bifida - my reason for running Falmouth for SBAMass. Here's a pic of me giving her a smooch just before mile 5:
After seeing my girls, I continued on my run and found myself overwhelmed with emotion. Another first: tears while running. The tears were of gratitude for what I have in my life. I have three beautiful, adorable, loving girls to come home to every day. And I have a wife who gives all her energy, time and love to our family. On Sunday morning Sarah, like me, could have stayed home. She had every reason to bail. Who would want to feed, dress and pack three toddlers for an early Sunday morning drive when you have been up since 4:00 a.m.? I think many parents wouldn't have done it. Thank you, hon for pulling it together and being there. It means everything to me.
I am exhausted (what else is new) and need to continue this post tomorrow.
Good night.