The yearly 5K that kicks off the Hickman Pecan Festival week was almost here. Last year at this time, I ran my first "race" and won for the females! This year, I have struggled with consistency in my running routine but felt ready to run again, though this time my husband wasn't running with me. .
Disappointed by the fact that I would be attending the race alone, I began trying to find a ride there. Jason and Taylor were talking of going squirrel hunting. Then late Friday afternoon, much to my delight and surprise, they decided to support me and both run the race instead of hunting! I was so pumped! "Every man for himself, though, Guys!" I made sure to clarify before race day. I didn't want to feel guilty if I ended up having to pass either one of them. Taylor had never run 3 miles before in his life. "Just don't take off too quickly like some of the men will. They will be thrown off by Drew Worley's speed. Just take your time and pace yourself." Those were my words of advice for my 14-year-old son. As if he needed any.
The race began. Drew was off like lightning, and there went Taylor, following behind. I stayed calm and set my pace because the hill was coming right off the bat. Jason and Taylor were ahead of me and made it up the hill with no problem. The gap between Taylor and me kept widening and by mile 2 I rarely caught a glimpse of him. Towards the end of mile 2, the road stretched straight for a while and I could see him still going strong. At the beginning of the third mile, I had to pass Jason (who had only been running 2 miles in his training time) and he handled it so graciously. I never got close to Taylor!
!
Taylor's final time in his first 5K -- 23:08!! He came in 2nd place in the whole race, second only to Drew Worley.
My final time -- 24:40! My best official time and better than last year's run, putting me in 1st place overall for the females and 3rd place overall (and at 41 years old, I might add).
Jason's final time -- 25:??. He came in 5th place overall, beating out all the younger men except the two teenage boys!
We all felt quite pleased with ourselves, but I know that if we went to a bigger race, we would quickly be humbled. :) I was so proud of Taylor, and I learned something about him that day. He has the ability to keep going, even when he is hurting and things aren't comfortable. He can press on. I was glad to see that and very proud of him!
Drew and I got the trophies for the race, which caused us to get written up in the paper as Repeat River Rat Race winners! A fun day!
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