Amanda Lamb: Run Mommy run

Each time I run a long race, I come home and immediately hit the ground running again - fixing breakfast, cleaning up around the house, and getting ready for the girls’ activities that day. It’s not that I expect to have the day off, but maybe, just maybe, a little break?

This time around, though, I got something I didn’t expect, congratulations from my younger daughter. As she recently started dabbling in social media, she instantly “liked” my post-race photo on Instagram before I was even in the car on the way home.

The minute I walked in the door, she was ready with a compliment: “Way to go Mommy and Daddy. Congratulations on running 13.1 miles. You did it!”

She gave us each a hug and then went back to Facetiming a friend. When we walked in, she went on to proudly explain to her friend that we had just returned from a race. 

Whether or not my girls turn out to be runners (so far they have not been too keen on the idea), I hope that the example I am setting is not just one of a healthy lifestyle, but an example of perseverance, that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Twelve years ago, if anyone would have told me I could run 13.1 miles, I would have said they were crazy. But, each time I do it now, I think about the example my mother set for me. No, she wasn’t a runner, far from it, but she did do things that inspired me.

She got a scholarship to Duke as young woman from a small town in North Carolina. She went to law school in her late 30s while raising two children. And she worked hard at something she loved almost right up until the day she died.

So, it’s not about running. It’s about having a goal and reaching it. Hopefully, I am teaching my girls just that. I’ve got to run now — taking one to dance and then heading to the grocery store.