Best Dad Running: One Father's Story

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joanna Kresge
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  Running has always been something that Capt. Heath White of the 93rd Bomb Squadron has loved; being alone on an empty road early in the morning, hearing nothing but the sound of his feet hitting the pavement, while thoughts of life run through his head. Earlier in his life views of his career as a pilot fueled his runs; grand thoughts of which plane he would fly nagged at his mind. But today Captain White thinks only of speech therapy, gymnastics, and swim class. Today, Captain White is a father. 

His girls Pepper, 3, Paisley, 1, and his wife, Jennifer, are now a big part of his running.
"When she was pregnant with Pepper I used to jog for long distances and I caught myself dreaming of the kind of person she was going to be", he said in a reminiscent manner. "What type of sports are we going to play, where are we going to go on vacation, what is she going to be like when she is 13, or what is our relationship going to be like as an adult? You know, just living out her life in my head while I ran." 

Captain White and Jennifer found early in their second pregnancy that Paisley would be born with Down syndrome. He said he went through the full gamut of emotions in the grieving process. His runs took on a different mood. 

"Paisley was totally different because we knew very early that she had Downs, so I was doing pretty much the same thing but in a negative light," he said, "so the planning of her future kind of went the opposite way." 

For Captain White, most of the worry and depression went away when he saw Paisley for the first time. 

"She was able to express emotions and really [won] me over," he said smiling. "There is no doubt I would take Paisley over any other baby because she's happy, she's Paisley. Once you get around her, you can't help but love her." 

One year later, his love for her and Pepper has only grown, and he strives to spend as much time with them as possible. 

Captain White and Jennifer's evenings are packed with sporting activities for the whole family and therapy sessions for Paisley. On Monday nights the Whites can be found in swim class. As Pepper graduated and moved up, Paisley entered the class. With her father holding her tightly, she kicks, reaches for floating toys, and gets dunked, all with a charming smile on her face. But Captain White would be remiss if he didn't share his love of long distance running with his daughters as well. 

"With Pepper, we jog occasionally", he said. "She ran a half mile with me this Saturday and I pushed Paisley [in the stroller]." 

Occasional weekend jogs aren't the only times he runs with the girls. A few months ago, Captain White ran the '08 Little Rock, Ark., Marathon with Paisley in tow, both sporting tee shirts proclaiming that she is 'downright spectacular' to promote awareness of Down syndrome. 

"It was by far my favorite [marathon]" he said, "even above Boston, because everyone was cheering for Paisley. I kept thinking there are more people out there to see Paisley, 'run faster so they can see her'." 

"People joked, asked if I got tired, and I'd say, 'No, she's an angel, she's got wings, she's pulling me along'." 

Captain White didn't just run the marathon with Paisley, but he trained with her and Pepper as well when the weather would allow it. Most often Pepper would accompany him on his 16 mile treks from town to town on Highway 80, as her weight provided better training for him than her younger sister would. However, there were times when the weather would not allow for a father, daughter run. 

"It was cold for training so I wouldn't take [them], instead I'd look like an idiot running down Highway 80 with an empty jogger stroller" he joked. 

With all the time he spends with his girls, in training, or just having fun, Captain White doesn't consider Father's Day to be anything special. 

"Father's Day is pretty much every day at my end, you're a dad everyday", he humbly stated. 

Captain White keeps two leather bound journals, one for each one of his girls that he writes in whenever he is away from home. A recent entry sums up the way he feels about being a father. 

"I wrote Paisley that she's the main character in my life and that I'm just a supporting actor in her story", he said. 

"You get to see you can make them better than you are and you can give them a chance that you didn't have. You try to make them better versions of you," he said. 

"Hopefully in 20 years I'll give them their journal and they can see me, they are going to hear what I thought, and who I was," he said, "and that I had a purpose every time I had to spank them," he added with a chuckle.