AdventureDad

2006 ended just the way I wanted.  It was a great end to a challenging year.  No, it did not involve sex.  Remember, we have two young kids.  We have sex about as often as there is a solar eclipse.  Instead I went running.  Call me crazy but it was the best run of the year, almost like a religious experience.  What can be better than my two favorite things together, exercising and spending time with my one of my children?  At 5.30 pm I got dressed and ready for the last run of the year.  Daniel, who is more in love with me than ever before, wanted to join me.   I put my winter dressed son in the  MBUD stroller and headed out for a 10K run in the darkness.   Temperature was just above  zero (35 F), the rain hung in the air, and it was pitch black. 

 

The MBUD is a light double stroller which is amazingly easy to handle but pushing a sleeping toddler  uphill on gravel roads does add another level to the workout.  The oxygen filled air felt great and there was no noise except for the occasional  fireworks as we ran along a lit bike path.  After a couple of miles we entered another trail which lead through a large forest.  It was completely dark.  Not a single light in site.  And totally quiet.  I listened to my breathing and struggled to see where I was running.  We soon past  a small cemetery which ordinarily would have felt spooky since the lights were off.  But I felt completely at ease as I parked the stroller and headed in to the graveyard.  The place was beautiful.  Families had lit candles to honor their loved ones and I could barely make out the silhouettes of the gravestones.  I walked around for a couple of minutes and read the text on some graves.  It was a special but odd feeling.  

 

I continued  for a mile or so through the dark forest.  Normally I would be hesitant to hang out in dark forests, but not in Sweden.  I was more afraid of running into a deer than a mugger.  Near the end of the forest I saw another place I've never noticed before.  Also filled with candles in the darkness. It was a small pet cemetery.   It was lovely to see the candles and  things people had left for their beloved pets earlier in the day.  Drawings, dog candy, and some favorite toys were placed next to the graves.  Some even had real gravestones.  Fascinating.

 

The last half of the run was fantastic and I had so much energy.  I was running faster with the MBUD than I usually do alone and  I still felt great. Although the pulse watch clearly indicated it was soon time to slow down.  Half of the pleasure was  knowing that I was the only one running at this time.  People looked at me and shook their heads as I zoomed by with a big smile on my face.  Made me feel even better.  And people say you can't workout and keep in shape with kids. Pfffffftttt, what kind of crap is that?

 

After the best 10k run of the year I arrived home just as my son woke up. We were both happy, energized, and ready to celebrate the new year.  A nap at 6 pm is usually a big no-no since my son will be awake all night long.  Worked like a charm. Daniel stayed awake until 1.30 am, which was hours past his previous record.  I'm looking forward to many more runs with him and Annika this year.  I'll be happy if they make me feel half as good as this one.