Alan pulled me to a 2nd place finish in my first 10k

There are times in life being the little brother is not fun.  This was not one of them.

This morning Alan (my big brother) and I ran a 10k together.  Anyone that knows Alan knows he would rather punch himself in the midsection than not try his best in any athletic event.  Today was different.  He could have easily beaten me by 5-7 minutes, but he didn't.  He stayed with me, providing support and pep talks exactly when I needed them.  Maybe he knows me very well.  Maybe I was breathing like I was giving birth.  Either way, he knew when I needed help and he provided it perfectly.

Sometimes I wonder if my pride for others goes too far.  It's easy to be proud of Alan's achievements.  Professional Engineer, model dad, outstanding soccer player, ridiculously fast runner, etc..  Today I am proud for a different reason.  He put his goals on the back burner and focused on helping me achieve mine.  To him, allowing me to finish the race before him means he gets a bronze medal instead of a silver one.  To me, it means the world.