Changing of the Guard - Father's Day 2015

This is my 20th Father's Day. I am a very lucky dad.  My son Ryan has grown into a thoughtful, caring, and intelligent young man who is making decisions that will likely lead him to even more success as he takes the rest of what adult life brings his way.

This said, I'm finding it important to note the moment of change I'm in 20 years after becoming "Dad".  It happened last Wednesday during the Triceratops Triathlon, one of three local sprint triathlons in our area that makes up the T-Rex Triathlon series each year.  I've run these events fairly consistently over the last five years and have gotten better each year, finishing as high as 14th overall during one of the 2014 races.  These are always fun events that several friends run each year including my son Ryan who started to run them in 2014.

During the 2014 races, I enjoyed the camaraderie with Ryan and friends but kept wondering when Ryan would start running past me.  It didn't happen in 2014; Ryan didn't beat me.   However, last Wednesday was a completely different story.  The 20 year run of Dad being on top (at least in the swim, bike, run world) came to an end.

This story is best shared by looking at the numbers as shown below.

To make a long story short, Ryan is a faster swimmer than me - especially last Wednesday.  We are still fairly close to each other on the bike and run.  

The finish line was a great moment for me, and the scene shows below.  It was a moment I labeled as a "changing of the guard".  It felt great to see Ryan taking over the reins to be the lead athlete in the family triathlon world....at least until Ironman Muncie 70.3 on July 11 :-).  Maybe.

Love you, Ryan.  Really happy to be your Dad.