Running Début

Pre-race game faces as the girls toe the line.

We spent the morning of our Mother's Day at the Jacaranda City Kwaii Challenge where our entire family ran our own races.  Today was actually Kaelia's running début as she ran her first race ever!  She was entered in the 50m Nappy Dash in the under 2 age division while Taelyn ran in the same event but for the 3-4 age division.  Both girls did such a great job and had a fun time.

When the announcer yelled go for Kaelia's race, I grabbed her hand, and we immediately shot up to the front of the pack.  Then Kaelia yanked my hand away and headed straight for the finish line on her own.  Once she saw Justin there, she started walking, but then finished strong after realizing the race was not yet over.  For Taelyn's race, I did not need to hold her hand because she is a pro after having done this last year and only wanted me there for moral support.  Unlike Kaelia's race, Taelyn immediately placed herself in the back of the pack so she could look around and take in the entire experience.  She certainly crossed the finish line with a smile on her face!  The girls left the race completely tired out and with a medal around their necks.

 

Post-Race Celebration!

Prior to the exciting Nappy Dash, Justin and I showed up to run a half-marathon together.  I was originally planning on running the 5K but decided to jump right in to a longer event as a starting point for the next school year when I want to race half-marathons and see what kind of time I can do.  Today was actually my first half-marathon after having my two girls, and I am certainly rusty.  My goal was to run 8:00 pace per mile, and Justin decided to run with me to try to pace me.  Once we started  the race, though, it was quite clear that Justin had a different goal set for me, so the pace was faster from the beginning.  The course was also pretty difficult; at times I felt like I was crawling up the hills.  In the end, I am very glad he was there to push me because I ended up running 7:30 pace (1:38:30) which was my goal for racing next year!  So I guess I'll have to make a new goal now and continue to work my pace down closer to my pre-childbearing days.