Joe didn't feel well Wednesday morning but tested negative for Covid-19 when I gave him a home test. However, when I picked him up from aftercare at school Wednesday evening, he was lethargic and clearly not himself. I ran him over to the secret Vanderbilt Walk-In Clinic on Belcourt Avenue and had him tested. Fortunately, he tested negative for strep, Covid-19, and the flu. Sore throat, congested, and a cough. Not fun for Joe but not Covid-19.
As a precaution and because he was only scheduled to have a half day at school, we decided to keep Joe him on Thursday and let him rest. His class was watching a movie and not getting any real work done on the last school day before Christmas break, so we felt comfortable giving him the day off.
JP tested negative for Covid-19, too. His last school event for the semester was a basketball game against David Lipscomb on Thursday afternoon. The freshman team earned a much needed victory, although nobody played particularly well against a weak opponent. Before the game, I told JP to do two things - have fun and play with confidence. Actually, that's kind of my approach to life, as I told him. I'm not sure he did either one of them during the game but it's all part of the process. He's going to have a game, soon, where he lets the ball fly and gets shots up.
I passed my Covid-19 test when I ran 4 miles the last couple of day at slightly over an 8 minute/mile pace. That's quicker than normal for me but felt good both days, so I pushed the pace a little bit. It's nice to finish the year with reasonably strong runs, since I've had an inconsistent year overall with my running. I dealt with my own case of Covid-19 last January, followed by a lingering head cold in February. More low back pain than normal didn't help, either. I never really found my stride - pun intended - and the long runs I had hoped for in 2023 were few and far between. Still, brick by brick, mile by mile, I kept running. I also added in late night walking (and listening to podcasts), too.
Yesterday, after running errands and stopping by the office to deliver Christmas gifts to the staff and other attorneys, I drove home with plans to get a run in before dark. To my great good fortune, JP was about to go for a run when I arrived home. He waited for me to change clothes and stretch, then we ran together.
JP and I don't run together as much anymore, which makes the runs I get with him all the more special and memorable. He inspires me to run harder and to push myself when we run together. Yesterday was no different, as I set the pace, early, at 8:05/mile or so. For now, that's on the upper end of where I can run comfortably, although I could get under 8:00/mile and be okay. My point is that while I was working reasonably hard yesterday and running on the outside edge of my comfort zone, JP was running effortlessly. Breathing easy. Cruising.
It's a beautiful thing, as a father and a longtime runner, to share a run with him. As we ran up Belmont Boulevard toward the end of our run, I told him, breathlessly, I was stopping at 4 miles. I turned left on Elmwood Avenue and he kept running down Belmont Boulevard, finishing later after 5 1/2 miles or so. As I watched JP run down Belmont Boulevard, picking up the pace, Harry Chapin's classic tune, The Cats in the Cradle played in my mind.
My boy is just like me.
My childhood friend, Greg Westfall, was in town with his wife. In a telephone conversation a couple of days ago, he mentioned that he'd gotten our Christmas card. Laughing, he told me that in looking at the cross country photos of JP on the card, he couldn't believe how much he looked like I did at the same age. Greg would know, too, because we have been friends for more than 40 years.
The next day, JP and I were at the Walgreens pharmacy, picking up a prescription. The pharmacist technician, who was ringing our order up, stopped suddenly and looked at us. Smiling, she said, "ya'll look like twins!" JP and I laughed.
My boy is just like me.
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