Does Your Family Acknowledge Your Accomplishments?


Way back when ( before she started running race with her family, or any Disney races), my sister ran a half marathon. When she was done with that half marathon, she didn't have family there to greet her at the finish line, she didn't do any post race selfies, and come to think of it, I don't  even think she got a post race picture of her wearing her medal.  She didn't wear her medal around her neck all afternoon in celebration either. I believe she wore it to the car, and that was it. She then drove herself to our grandparents for Sunday dinner with the family (something we did every week).  The funny thing is, I didn't even remember that she did this race, until she mentioned a few years ago when we started the blog.  She might have mentioned it when she got to my grandparent's house, but heck, I didn't even know what a half marathon was, so it's not likely something I would have been able to relate to. 

I think many of us have those  people in our lives, the people that don't quite "get' the running, are not impressed with the distance, the dedication or the achievement. Afterall, how many times has a co-worked asked you, "So how far was THAT marathon you ran last weekend", even though it was only a 5K.  So of course when you do run the Marathon, it's not like they even thought it was a big deal anyway.
Don't get us wrong, we don't run just to get acknowledgement from others, That is NOT what we are saying.  But we are saying that it is nice when we have the support of our family and they acknowledge our effort.

There is nothing better than a heart felt "Congratulations" or an "I'm so proud of you", but here are a few things we've appreciated that our family has done for us post race.


1. Minus the typo, this sign was one of my favorite things to come home to post race. I think it was after one of my Rock n Roll races last year. Baylee must have really missed her momma! (for those of you that don't know, Baylee is a dog).

2. Lacey post Boston Marathon 2013. That was one of the most emotional post race homecomings for sure.

3. The congratulations balloon and flowers were waiting for me after my first marathon this year (as part of Disney's Goofy Challenge).  Although the flowers changed, the balloon remained intact even when I cam home from the Glass Slipper Challenge the next month. Actually, can you believe that this same balloon is still floating? I believe it may still be up when I come home from the Pixie Dust Challenge in a few weeks!

Have your friends or family ever surprised you with a congratulatory post race surprise? -M

34 comments:

  1. My husband and kids do acknowledge my achievements but the rest of my family doesn't really get it and doesn't ask about it very often. Oh well good thing we have blogger friends to talk to about it :)

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    1. Yes, it is so nice to have blogger friends. We love hearing about your running!

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  2. My mom surprised me with one of the rD roses with a Mickey head after my first half. Of course the rose wilted but I stuck the Mickey head in my scrapbook.

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  3. It's funny because my sister ran her first marathon, Marine Corps back when I was living in Texas and ran a 3:19. This meant absolutely nothing to me, and I probably barely acknowledged it. What an amazing time and accomplishment that was overlooked. My family is very supportive and especially Tom who puts up with my early morning track workouts and weekends away running Disney races. I think my happiest moment was having him hug me at the end of my marathon last year when I qualified for Boston. He took my photo near the finish and was so incredibly proud of me!

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    1. It's moment like that, that make everything worth it!

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  4. That is SO sweet and thoughtful of your family to celebrate your accomplishment with you! That said, other than hubby and kids sometimes, my parents or siblings don't "get" running and have never been near a race, let alone celebrated with me. In fact my sis told me I needed to "get a life" when she saw my race medals. That's why I've got running friends. : )

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    1. That is awful that your sister would say that. When we look at all our medals we are reminded at what a full life we have!

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  5. My mom, dad, and brother came out the cheer for me at a 10k this past October. It really meant a lot to me! And, I freaking WON the race so they were BEAMING with pride! I am glad they got to see it because I probably won't ever win a race again. :)

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    1. Having your family at the finish line is definitely the best gift of all. So cool that they saw you win!

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  6. That is sweet! And what an amazing balloon! LOL. My sister, brother-in-law, and my mother were at the finish line of the first half marathon (Princess 2013) Walt & I ever ran. My sister made me a 'trophy' of sorts. They live in Tampa and my sis was 8.5 mos. pregnant at the time, so I know it wasn't easy for them to get around, but it was really nice to have them there. ~DB

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    1. That is awesome that your sister traveled to see you finish the race AND that she made the effort to make you a trophy. That is really special!

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  7. I think having your husband be supportive is one of the most important parts. Running is such a time commitment and it's nice that he understands that.

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  8. I think unless someone has actually done it, they truly can't comprehend the accomplishment. My family is supportive (my husband has made me two beautiful handmade medal racks -- which is so sweet) but they still really don't get it either. "What did you win?" is usually the first question.

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  9. My husband is super supportive, I'm sure because he sees all the training I put into a big race and so he knows what it means. My parents are also really congratulatory, probably because they remember how non-athletic I was up until now! i love the photos of the congratulatory sign and balloons :)

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  10. Stacey NiedzwieckiApril 9, 2015 at 1:18 PM

    My family is awesome-ly supportive of me and my running. They know how much I love it, asking when my next race is, traveling with me to races, and cheering me to the finish. My friends are the same, sending me texts cheering me on (sometimes during the race like my first half) and asking me first thing when they see me how it went and did I have fun.

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  11. Some friends and family get the running thing, but then there are plenty who do not. For those that don't get it, I do appreciate their words of congratulations. I know that they're trying to be supportive in their own way.

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  12. Oh gosh - this is a topic that tugs at my heart. My family has never been at a finish line... ever... don't really even acknowledge any of my races. My hubs didn't actually come to the finish line for a few years until I told him how sad I was to go to the races along, cross the finish line alone, & get in my car to drive home alone. Bless his heart - he comes now.... I have dreams that my family will surprise me one day but it wont ever happen. The kicker? They have gone to see my SIL run a half marathon - the only one she ever did. Sigh.

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  13. I like to pretend that the gold stars don't matter, but they do. It's always nice when hard work gets you to your goals, but it's even nicer to get noticed for it :)

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  14. I have never had my close family (siblings, parents, grandparents, etc) at a finish line mainly because of the logistics My boyfriend always thought I was crazy asking him to come to a finish line until he finally ran a race and his brother and friends were there. He LOVED it and now has at least tried to make a few of them (yet to succeed mainly because of traffic woes). However we are running more races together now and since he is faster than me, he is at the finish line!

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  15. What an awesome idea for a post! My parents have always been super supportive at races (aka they showed up haha) but otherwise, they just don't get it enough to do anything extra. My ex-boyfriend was the same way...I had to drag him to my races and he wasn't very happy being there ever haha. Gotta make sure the next one is a runner, that's for sure ;)

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  16. Love this post! My family is very supportive of me, but they have no understanding of why I run, how any of the distances or times add up, and why there is so much strategy involved. I focus all the time on how I'm going to hit X time goal, but my family doesn't know the difference between my good races and my bad races. They just support me - which is nice. It takes away a lot of the pressure that I put on myself to perform well, you know?

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  17. I have a very supportive family, it probably helps that there are a lot of runners in it. They may not be able to come to every race, but I can always count on a phone call or txt right about around my predicted finish time. Even my extended relatives runners or not have always been so good to me, I know I am lucky to have them.
    I know a lot don't have a big support system in their families but I think thats when its okay to share with your friends and build a support system there. It shouldn't just stop with running, we should be supportive from everything from job changes, kids accomplishments, basketball to zumba:) and remember that our support to them for there lives is just as important as the support and acknowledgement we want from them with our running:) Great post idea, its always a good reminder to reflect on these things!

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  18. I have never gotten any surprises or congrats from family, they just don't get it.
    However, I did have a friend show up and surprise me at the finish of a half last year.
    Plus, she drove me back to me car at the start so I didn't have to wait in the cold for the shuttle bus, best surprise ever.

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  19. This post hits close to home for me because NONE of my family get running and so never even think to congratulate me. I mean, they say congratulations, but that's about it. Last year my family had a Halloween party the evening of my goal half marathon. I was sore and tired but drove the hour to their house to attend...and once I got there learned that they were counting on me to not just attend but to help with hours of prep work for the party. I held my tongue and helped, but it hurt me. Also, for my second half marathon--the one that really counts as my first since my first was so disastrous--my husband overslept and didn't make it to the finish line. I was the only runner with absolutely no one to congratulate me when I crossed the finish line. What's worse, I had left my phone in my car so didn't get his text that he wasn't coming, so I waited, shivering and freezing, for a half hour after the race for him. He apologized after, but I don't think he knew what a big deal it was and how much it hurt me.

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  20. It's nice when people acknowledge it, but I don't feel offended if they don't. I think the first time I did it, everyone was surprised that I actually finished a marathon, much less have stuck with running so many years. I despised PE when I was a kid. Since it's such a part of my regular routine, I don't feel like I need props for doing it every time I run a race. Sometimes my mom will come if I do a racecation, but I don't expect her to go out and deal with the crowds hoping to see me run by. She's done it once or twice. I don't see any need for it to be a regular thing. It's such a fleeting moment to see your runner go by, and you have to wait a long time. I feel like most people have better things to do. My running is for me. I don't expect anyone else to be my support system.

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  21. It is nice when people acknowledge it. My cousin and bf are pretty great. I think it becomes tough since I race so often. For the big races they do congratulate me.

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  22. My family made a bigger deal of my races when I started, but now that I do them regularly, its kind of old hat for them. I'm ok with that, although I got a little annoyed when I came home from my last 10k and no one even asked how it went! But I've got my blogger buddies to cheer me on, which is awesome!

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  23. My husband supports and is always encouraging me. He has told me on numerous occasions that he's very proud of my dedication to training for my first half. However, I do not get that from my kids lol they could care less that mom is doing this. All they know is they get drug to races at times they normally don't get up! I also have lots of friends from our church family that are always praising me for a job well done. It's beautiful.
    The coolest thing about it is, when I was growing up I never got any of that. No acknowledgement for a job well done, no "good job" from my parents. Nothing. It's no wonder I'm such a sponge for it now.

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  24. I don't run, but I am a poet (under another name) and my family has never been supportive of my writing or my publishing successes. At one point my father even told me that I was just "wasting time on that useless crap." I've always had to be extremely self motivated because I definitely had no cheerleaders.

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  25. I love this post. You've gotta love family/friends who understand how important certain races/race distances are to runners. My co-workers definitely have no idea what distance I'm running at most of my races lol.

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  26. There's definitely a difference between people who know running and those who don't. My family has always been tremendously supportive and I'm so lucky to have a guy who stands by the sidelines cheering me on at all my races. He's a trooper!

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  27. I've struggled with this a bit. My sister, who I'm so close with, is not all that supportive of my running. I almost think it's a competitive thing. But it hurts. I try to understand it. Lucky for me, my mom and dad, my youngest sister, and my husband get it. And they get me.

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  28. I have this issue all the time. I'm fortunate enough in that my significant other also runs, so he totally "gets" it and makes a big deal about things like a new PR or conquering a new race distance. But my family...well...they understand it's important to me, but they don't really acknowledge it all that much anymore. It's kind of like, "oh, you ran another half marathon...that's nice." Haha. I know they don't mean anything by it, but I guess if you're not a runner, it can be hard to really appreciate everything we have to put into getting to that finish line!

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Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.