No Off Season...for dads

The pain began on mile 4.   I had to run 22 more grueling miles with this aggravating pain.  The first 3 miles were great -- the unyielding enthusiasm from all of the fans, the vigor of the runners, the electric atmosphere.  It was all there. And then came...that pain.  It was at the top of my right ankle.  I had never felt it before; not even sure where it came from.  My running partner cramped continuously throughout the race.  Pain.  As I had to stop and start, the pain from my ankle became progressively worse, so much so that it was more painful to start running again than the actual run.  Pain. Pain is everywhere.  If you talk with anyone for a bit of time, you can hear the joys and pains of their life.  My friend suffered a brain aneurysm.  Another colleague was in an unhealthy marriage.  Once to have it all only to lose everything and begin all over again...pain. To see your daughter on a great track to hav...

After consistent questioning and persuasions, I made the decision to run the MCM.  Training for this race was different for me.  I had been running for some years now- two miles here, four miles there.  Yet, I never really pushed myself to train.  Training takes consistency, determination and hard work.  From those three words, consistency was my challenge. I had to train...often.  Well... Steve was my running partner.  We trained together.  We ran together.  And after a while, we drew closer as friends...together.  I began to understand his running pace and he understood mine.  As we trained, running became more than just running.  It became more of a friendship.  I began to know more about him, his wife and family, and his interests.  He got a chance to know a bit more of my victories and challenges, my strengths and shortcomings.  But we ran together -- 5 miles, 8 miles, 10 and then 12....

The grueling race began.  One foot after the other running towards the finish line.  There were hundreds of fans along the side of the road early in the chilled morning with their children wrapped in coats.  I was well aware that there were places around the city where supporters were able to see the runners and encourage them on.  But screaming fans were everywhere.  EVERYWHERE!!!! There were thousands of people with blue, white, and pink poster signs rousing their favorite runners on.  There were marines dressed in fatigues dispersed throughout the race giving high fives; little 10-year old kids were passing out waters and Powerade to runners they did not even know.  In all honesty, there was never a half mile in the entire race that there were not screaming, bell-in-hand supporters....  Photo by John Miranda  "Come on! You can do it!" "Keep going!  Don't stop! "You got this!" "You were stupid enough to sign up for th...

It could not have been a better day to run a race than Halloween Day, 2010.  The weather was perfect a nice chill to the fall air; the runners were ready, and the atmosphere was electric.  I had been anticipating this day for months.  Yet, I did not always look forward to running a marathon.  In fact, I NEVER wanted to run a marathon. I had been running for a couple of years now.  I ran in the Marine Corps Marathon 10K race in 2008.  I watched the marathon runners prepare for their excruciatingly long run and thought to myself, "I ain't doing that." Well, a couple of my 'I ain't doing that' opposing friends, who ran the race last year, persistently coerced me to run it this year.  "Dijon, you're a runner!  You can do this!" "Dijon, just take the pace slow and you will finish."  "It'll be great!" Yadda yadda yadda.  I reluctantly said yes.  The problem for me was not that I did not think I c...

I was thinking about my boys and the things I have learned as a dad over the last couple of days.  Just thoughts... 1)  This takes work! 2)  I have to give my boys more credit than I do. 3)  I have to trust that they will put into practice what I teach them. 4)  They do listen to me. 5)  They often follow the examples that I do, whether good or bad. 6)  They are boys, not men; so I cannot give them a man's responsibility...yet. 7)  They are boys, not men; so I cannot expect to act like a man.  I have to allow them to be...boys. 8)  They know more than what I give them credit for. 9)  I need to speak to them in a calm voice...more often. 10) Freedom is often harder to give up than I expected...they are growing up and I have to allow them to. 11) I have to get more advice about how to raise them...I have never raised a ten year old and a six year old before.  Each day is new. 12) They do want to spend time ...

If you are on the east coast, you have been pounded by the snow, or as it has been affectionately named, 'Snowmageddon'!  Well, my boys have been out of school since Monday and it doesn't look like they are going back until Tuesday.  After a while, being stuck in the house, you can get cabin fever.  Especially if you are used to being out most of the day.  Well, my boys are not really suffereing from that.  They aren't really getting on our nerves.  They are actually really good.  We have played board games as a family, played in the snow, and relaxed and watched TV.  I have had to be creative myself during these times.  I have played the games, watched some soccer, cooked a little more and shoveled a little more. Yet, I am a still teacher, by occupation and life! So I was sitting at the computer devising a lesson dealing with African American History for my boys.  They had no clue of what was...

Here are some great tips I found for fathers. http://www.greatdads.org/   Enjoy! SEIZE THE MOMENT #2 – EXAMPLES Sweep your young daughter up in your arms and dance around for a moment or two. Sit down beside your child and ask him to tell you all about his latest “passion” – what he is really interested in. Have a meal where everyone must eat with the “wrong” hand. Wear yourself out wrestling with your kid on the family room floor. Invite your child to help you plan a special surprise for Mom – a nice meal, a “Mom Appreciation Night”. On a snow day, sled down the hill with your child. Or make snow ice cream. Some evening, say to a child before bedtime, “Come outside with me” and there have a tent set up for a night of camping with dad under the stars. When you have lots of “seized moments” like this with your child, it is quite likely the child will look back someday and say, “Dad was the guy who made life a lot of fun.” Wishing you the very best, Dr. Bob Bob Hamrin - Pres...