Yesterday was a good day. I started my National Running Day by joining other local running enthusiasts at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to run along the boardwalk. Most of us will do anything for a t-shirt, and there were quite a few diehards out there with me at 6:30 AM to claim one of the 50 J&A Racing had to offer. I had planned to go alone and leave both the boys at home with their dad, but Roan decided he wanted to join me, I guess, because he woke up at 5:45 instead of his usual 6:30. I laced up my shoes and put him in the car, and we headed east.
On the way down to the beach, I was reminded how much I love the early morning hours. Most of the world is still sleeping (including the guy in the truck I parked next to at 1st Street), and it’s invigorating to be out of the house and communing with nature just an hour or so after the sun has risen. The wide, empty beaches, the slowly rolling, pink-tinged waves, and the cloud-filled sky made my 3 miles seem downright meditative. Roan, thumb in mouth, was out before I’d even covered a block.
When we finished our run, we gathered next to the newest addition to the Virginia Beach resort area, Grommet Island Park. The “park for everyBODY” was built so all children could enjoy it, even (and perhaps most specifically) those in wheelchairs. Complete with ramps and boardwalks and low-level activity stations and free-for-the-borrowing beach wheelchairs, the playground will be a destination for boys like Owen who have DMD, and I could not help but think about the Liddics as I pushed Roan around the playground in the stroller. I looked at my watch and realized that Owen’s mom was probably en route to the hospital, so I took a picture and sent her a message to let her know she was in my thoughts.
I finished my run at about 7:05 yesterday morning, and 12 hours later Owen’s little sister Lucy was born. We can’t wait to meet her and to congratulate Owen for becoming a big brother in person!
