The 138-Mile Classroom

I have very little in common with a 13-year-old boy. Especially the 13-year-old boy who is my son. He likes to talk about video games and mountain bikes and The Mandalorian. I know nothing about all three. The first time he asked if I like The Mandalorian, I thought he was asking me if I like mandolins: “They sound pretty, I guess. But I don’t know much about guitars.”

What my son, Colin, and I do have in common is running. When he was a baby, I began pushing him in a jogging stroller around Mirror Lake. The 2.7-mile loop is a popular walking route for Lake Placid locals and tourists alike. Colin was a miserable, nap-resistant baby who would wake up and scream for the full 2.7 miles if I didn’t move fast enough, so walking was out of the question. I ran a sort of panicked pace that lacked all grace and athleticism. The brick-lined path