It’s good to be back

GRAYTON BEACH, FLA. — It’s good to be back in this 1960s-era Florida fishing village.

The kids on Grayton Beach the day we arrived.

I love its laid-back feel. The people are friendly, the streets are uncrowded and the schedule is … well … there isn’t one.

And we get to run. Every day.

So far, the Beem family has notched runs on both mornings here. And on the way back from dinner Monday, Maggie said she wanted to continue our daily ritual until Saturday, the day we leave.

I’m down with that.

Above all else, the daily family runs are enjoyable because we’re together. Tom paced us Sunday morning on a bicycle, and Maggie joined him today. They streaked ahead before retracing their tire paths, never wanting to get too far in front of the pack.

The Beem clan before this year’s inaugural Grayton Beach run.

They’re also fun because of their unpredictability. Joe flashed forward and finished the first three miles Sunday nearly ten minutes ahead of the rest of us, but Maggie and Tom stayed with me on their bikes today over the entire six-mile route.

Most of all, though, our family runs are fun because they’re just the five of us. Together. Away from the rest of the world.

I thought about how special these days are this morning as we rounded the corner from Lydia onto Defuniak and headed toward Magnolia. Joe has little more than a year left before college, and Maggie is only two years behind him.  After she jumps the nest, it’ll just be Kate, Tom and me for the ensuing five years.

Joe and I planning our first day’s run. He smoked me.

Call me old and sappy — but it’s true. Talk about life passing by in the blink of an eye.

This week, though, I’m not thinking about that. Instead, I’m focusing on keeping up with my kids.

And soaking up every ounce of our family time together during our days apart.

What are you up to these days?

Happy running!

Kansas City Runner