Another first

Ever since Ella and then Lily were born, I've looked forward to two things: running a race with them and running while they ride their bike next to me. I've run races with both girls - the Daisy 5K last Mother's Day and the Jingle Bell run this past winter. I cried crossing the finish line with them both times. Heck, I cried most of time I was running the races with them. It made me so incredibly happy to share my love of running with them.

This morning I celebrated another first. Ella has finally figured out how to ride her bike without training wheels. She's been close for so long but just lacked the confidence. Two weeks ago B took her up to the parking lot at our neighborhood school and turned her loose. Once she didn't have to worry about riding off the sidewalk or hitting bushes or cars, she took off. He said she rode up there for close to an hour. Now that she can ride, I get asked, "Can I ride my bike?" at least 10 times a day.

So this morning I decided I'd take Ella down to the Trail and let her go for a ride. I put Campbell in the jogger and off we went. Ella did a super job of staying on the right side of the trail and passing people very carefully. Before we started out, I talked to her about the rules of the road to make sure she wasn't one of those kids who plows over runners. She took the lessons to heart and was very, very careful.

She rode 2 1/2 miles without a problem. Although, at the end she did say her legs were tired. She came home and ate a huge snack and chugged a ton of water and then asked if she could ride her bike around the block. I wish I had half her energy.

But I was so thrilled to be out there running with Ella riding ahead of me. I love that I can teach her to lead a healthy lifestyle and share my love of running and the Trail. Plus it seems like just yesterday she was riding in the jogger while I ran. But now here she is, leaving me in her dust.