Yesterday the kids and I loaded up in the van and headed to Hutchinson to cheer on my mom in her half-marathon race, Run for the Rocks. She did not know we were coming. When you run that far, you want someone at the end cheering you on! The cool thing about Run for the Rocks is that you finish your final 300 meters on a track at Gowans Stadium. So it feels olympic-like with the fans cheering you as you stride across the finish line. Luckily we were allowed to go out on the football field and run with the race participant's as they finished, so Leah and Autum were ready to roll. They did some stretching, mixed in with some cartwheels and cheerleading moves to prepare. Blake just did 100's of somersaults at the 50-yard line, which I'm pretty sure explains his upset stomach and whining for the next hour. We waited and waited, watching these amazing athletes finish. People you would see on the street and never peg as the kind to finish a half-marathon!
That's a long ways for the average person to run, so to see people of all ages and abilities finish a distance like that, so strong, is pretty motivating!
Every person that entered the track would be followed up with Leah saying, "There's Mimi! Nope...not Mimi!" This went on for what seemed an hour. Until finally she was right...and here came my mom running in her neon pink shirt and socks. She hit the last 200 meters and picked up her pace, Leah was hauling behind her trying to catch up to finish the race alongside my mom...haha! For a minute I didn't think Leah was going to catch her and I was afraid of what disappointment might ensue if Mimi "beat" her to the finish. But my mom finally heard her hollering and Leah made her way up to my mom and they finished together. Autum stood at the finish line in her pee-filled shorts and boots...with her pom pom's cheering! Blake was nowhere to be found. Upon scanning the field for his presence, I see him sprinting toward the goal line at the complete other end of the football field, right into oncoming runners. I wasn't really planning to have to participate in the morning's running festivities, but nevertheless, I took off after him. Caught him just as his foot was about to step onto the track...phew!
The kids spent the next 30 minutes begging Mimi to get them some post-race granola bars and bananas, until I had to put the stop to the overfeeding...there were still a lot of finisher's left!
I was asked by several by-standers if I was here to cheer on my husband, or sister, or friend...and when my reply was "my mom"...I always get a look like, "really? Wow!"
And I usually reply with something like, "Evidently you have not met my mom yet, she is pretty amazing--toughest gal I know!"
That's a long ways for the average person to run, so to see people of all ages and abilities finish a distance like that, so strong, is pretty motivating!
Every person that entered the track would be followed up with Leah saying, "There's Mimi! Nope...not Mimi!" This went on for what seemed an hour. Until finally she was right...and here came my mom running in her neon pink shirt and socks. She hit the last 200 meters and picked up her pace, Leah was hauling behind her trying to catch up to finish the race alongside my mom...haha! For a minute I didn't think Leah was going to catch her and I was afraid of what disappointment might ensue if Mimi "beat" her to the finish. But my mom finally heard her hollering and Leah made her way up to my mom and they finished together. Autum stood at the finish line in her pee-filled shorts and boots...with her pom pom's cheering! Blake was nowhere to be found. Upon scanning the field for his presence, I see him sprinting toward the goal line at the complete other end of the football field, right into oncoming runners. I wasn't really planning to have to participate in the morning's running festivities, but nevertheless, I took off after him. Caught him just as his foot was about to step onto the track...phew!
The kids spent the next 30 minutes begging Mimi to get them some post-race granola bars and bananas, until I had to put the stop to the overfeeding...there were still a lot of finisher's left!
I was asked by several by-standers if I was here to cheer on my husband, or sister, or friend...and when my reply was "my mom"...I always get a look like, "really? Wow!"
And I usually reply with something like, "Evidently you have not met my mom yet, she is pretty amazing--toughest gal I know!"
That is so awesome...Leah was so proud to tell me about her grandma and the race....
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