Coast Guard Run

This past weekend Tracey and Kyle participated in the Coast Guard 10K run and one mile fun run, respectively. Tracey's race started at 9am while Kyle's started at 9:30am, so we all piled in the car at about 7:45am to make it in time for packet pick-up. When we arrived, it was super busy due to all of the Coast Guard Festival activities, including the 5K, which started at 8am. So, Clara and I dropped Tracey and Kyle off at the start/finish and planned to meet back up with them before the races. While searching for a parking spot, we somehow ended up on the 5K course and were forced to stop behind about 5 other cars due to the police blocking traffic for the race. After sitting there for about 10 minutes, I realized that they were going to keep us there until the race was complete, thus missing Tracey's start. So, I jumped out and ran up to the policeman and explained our situation. Fortunately, he understood and let me go around everyone and park at the city beach, which was about 1 mile from where Tracey and Kyle were at. After parking, Clara got in the stroller and we were off. Since there were no good routes available, we joined the 5K race where we were cruising through the field finally meeting up with Tracey and Kyle about 15 minutes before the start! Whew.

As for the races, Tracey's 10K course was changed this year and was much more challenging. It included two of the steepest hills that I have ever run on. Given the heat and those hills, I was glad it was her running and not me. Despite the difficulty, she raced well and had an outstanding time of 56:54. As usual, Kyle was the loudest fan in the crowd when he saw his mommy! It was clear that he was very proud of her - as were Clara and I too.

While Tracey was running her race, Kyle ran in the one mile fun run. We weren't sure how he would do with the longer distance (he had only run a 1/2 mile before), but we were anxious to find out. At 9:30, the horn sounded and we were off, Kyle up front and Clara and I following behind with the stroller. About 1 minute into the run, Clara was crying, so we had to stop - Kyle kept going. We were stopped for about 45 seconds and then took off as fast as possible to catch back up with Kyle. He was going so fast, that it took us to about the last 200-300 yards before we caught back up. He was near the front of the pack and looking strong. He finished in about 8 minutes! That is pretty darn fast for a 5-year old! We were all very proud of him too. Notice the picture my friend took of him. You will see Kyle booking it and Clara and I right behind him. Also notice the "big kid" that Kyle was beating.