All she needed were pom-poms

The other day I ran past a little girl, about two or three, who was skipping alongside her mom.

“She’s running!” the girl announced. “Why is she running?”

“Because she’s good at it,” said her mom.

I looked back at the girl, with my rosy, wind slapped cheeks, and gave her a huge smile before picking up my pace and continuing on my way. About 10 or 15 minutes later, on one of my turnarounds, I heard that carefree, joyous voice calling again. This time, the girl was pumping her legs fast on the swings with her mom pumping beside her.

“Look! She’s still running,” she said, giving her mom a play-by-play worthy of the Olympics.

Again, I smiled, before focusing in on my form and picking up my pace.

Another 15 minutes passed, and I was on my final leg of the run, I was growing sluggish, I could feel my blood sugars plummeting, I just wanted to be done. But then, across the lot, there was that girl again.

“I want to run too!” she announced as she pointed in my direction.

I looked over, and there she was, her little legs pushing her forward as fast as little legs can go, her arms frenetically waving from side to side, up and down, and her belly full of giggles. Instantly, my belly filled with giggles, my face erupted into smiles,  my energy burst, my legs sped.

It was only 7 km, but thanks to that girl, it was one of the best runs I’ve had in months.

You’re never too young to be a cheerleader!

SUNDAY’S RUN:

• 1 p.m. BG before: 10.6
• Temp. basal: none
• Carbs: none
• Time: 38:42
• Distance: 7.04 km
• Average pace: 5:30 min/km
• 2 p.m. BG after: 2.6 YIKES!!!