Our First Family Run #mommymilkshakerun2016





Last Sunday, our little family of four woke up at five in the morning and prepared for our first family fun run.  We finished 3k and it was awesome. 

Flashback to 2011 when I just gave birth to Dawn. My cousin was telling me about a run for breastfeeding awareness and invited me to join.  I was not into running then so the thought of waking up in the wee hours of the morning after a practically sleepless night was not my idea of fun. 

 

Years later I learned more about the Mommy Milkshake run but was still not convinced. I figured I already did enough running while chasing the two kids and did not need to register for such an event.  

 

Last 2014, I started running for fitness.  During family trips, I will wake up early on some mornings and run. My kids know my routine and would already ask 'Mom, did you jog this morning?' as soon as they wake up -- side note: I call it running but they know better that it's not exactly that.  Anyway, I joined a few runs since then (3k, 5k, 10k) and really enjoyed it.

 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I got an invitation to run in this year's Mommy Milkshake event. I did not hesitate and immediately accepted the invite for me and Dawn. I was hesitant to confirm for Dens since I knew he hated waking up very early, and I knew that Troy might not do it if he knows his dad is not joining.  So imagine my surprise when both of them readily said yes to waking up at five in the morning and running with us. Yay!

A few days before the event, Dens spoke to some friends about running and realized the danger of bringing the kids to a possibly crowded event. He told me maybe we should just not bring the kids. I explained that this will be a family-oriented run and I know they will make sure it is safe for the kids. But his concerns silently became my concerns so I started praying and orienting the kids every night before the run.

The big day finally arrived and we found ourselves at the corner of 34th and 9th street in BGC at six in the morning. And it was not crowded at all!  They had a lot of fun booths for the kids and a few play area where the kids can enjoy while waiting for gun start. I immediately felt relieved and thanked God for a great run ahead of us.

The kids enjoyed going around the booths and even writing on the message board before the run began.


After some stretching an dancing, off we go! I love how Mommy Mundo kept the crowd small.  Unlike other runs that I have joined, you can actually run even at the gun start!

Towards the last leg of the 3k run, our family raced each other towards the finished line. Guess who won?



After the run, Dens told me he was glad we came. Our fears were, obviously, unnecessary and the event fostered discipline and good team spirit within the kids.

I hope to run with my family again in the next Mommy Milkshake event. You should too!

**Some photos are from Mommy Mundo c/o earbuds productions.