#1 with a medal and his mom. Perfect.

#1 with a medal and his mom. Perfect.

This Thanksgiving week, we are going to run a series of Most Important Miles to celebrate the fact that we are so grateful for your stories, our collective miles that send strength and love into the world, the community that brings us together, and the simple ability to run. Thank you, thank you.
Over the course of the summer, my five-year-old son, Caden, had run 12 miles—mostly with his dad. I had been off running for 6 months (ahh!!) following hip surgery earlier this year. Not all of those miles were fun and games for him, but he stuck with it, and I reminded him it would pay off in the end.
We entered the Kids’ Run at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Human Race Half-Marathon, and he had his choice as to whether to run with his mom or dad. He picked me (yay!) because, “Mom, you love running and miss it so much…and you have your outfit picked out.” Melt my heart!
He quietly and patiently waited in the rain with me for half an hour. When the horn sounded for the run to begin, he forgot he was soaking wet and ran that 1.1 miles with so much enthusiasm! He wasn’t just running: he was truly enjoying the process; he was high-fiving the volunteers, smiling, taking in the scenery.
When he saw the finish line, he darted toward it with a smile. After crossing, he exclaimed, “This was the best day of my life!” and “I can’t wait to do this next year!”
This single mile with my son, where I soaked up his excitement and energy, trumps my best or fastest runs. I am so grateful to have been alongside him during his first official race and can’t wait to do another with him. It was the perfect mile to cap off six months of recovery and waiting to get back into my running shoes!

What was (or will be) the most important mile? Share it with us! Best way to submit is to email us your story with a picture: runmother {at} gmail {dot} com with “Most Important Mile” in the subject line. Please try to keep your mile stories under 300 words. Thank you!