The HENDRICKSON Family: Spring Fun Run

The girls both ran in their school's Spring Fun Run last Friday. 4th and 5th grade students ran a 1 mile race first. Then 2nd and 3rd grade students were up... Sarah ran very well in the Fall Fun Run at her school and wanted to continue her success with this run too. (To read about the Fall Fun Run CLICK HERE.) Sarah and I started running together last Fall to prepare her for her race. We have continued to run together since then, and also have entered some 2 mile races and 5k races together. She is athletic and very competitive in all she does, running in a race is no different. She wants to beat as many people as she can and really ~~likes~~ loves to win! That's MY GIRL!

The course had to be changed a little bit for this race due to all the rain we have had here in the past couple weeks. Parts of the original course were muddy and still underwater. The new 1 mile course had a large loop and a small loop out in a big field. The runners were visible to the spectators as they ran most of the course, so we could see and cheer for both Sarah and Phoebe as they ran most of their races. Below you can see the 2nd and 3rd graders lining up on the starting line. Sarah is to the mid left side of the picture. She had on a white shirt and black shorts. Her teacher had made and given each student in her class a stretchy head/sweat band to wear for the race.

Most of the 2nd and 3rd graders took off fast. Sprinting off the line and fighting for a position. As they passed me on this first corner, most were still sprinting. Here comes Sarah rounding the corner...

She was able to get out quickly, and held her position, then started picking people off a few at a time as the racers began to spread out on the first big loop of the course. As she passed me I yelled all my usual encouraging directives... "You're doing great! Keep going! Run hard! Don't let anyone pass you! Hang with them! Pick it up! Get someone in your sights and go get'em! Pass those boys! Finish strong! Go! Go! Go!"

On the smaller loop she hung in there and kept her pace. By this time the kids were pretty spread out along the entire course and only a few boys and no girls were in front of Sarah. As she passed me on the course for the last time I yelled for her to "Go get those BOYSSSSS!!!!" She zeroed in on them and began to pound her feet harder onto the ground speeding up and sprinting to try to catch and pass two of them. She told me later, after the race was over, that at the end of races when she begins to sprint, moving her legs faster and faster, she gets a feeling like she is "floating". (Ha! That means you are moving fast, Sarah. Keep it up! You are STRONG and FAST, sweet girl.)

Below, she is on the final 50m of the 1 mile race, a small uphill incline. She caught the boy in the blue shirt in front of her and came across the line right as he did! (Notice, Popee in the tan hat and tan shorts along the course yelling and cheering encouraging words to Miss Competitive. Popee use to come to all my cross country races too. He is great at finding spots along the course to yell and cheer for his favorite runners.)

Below, on the right are a couple more of Sarah and Phoebe's fans... Nanee seated, wearing a blue plaid shirt and Silas standing next to her in a yellow muscle shirt. Go, Sarah, GO!!!!!! Sarah was the first girl to cross the finish line again, and only a handful of boys were in front of her. Her official 1 mile time for the Spring 1 mile Fun Run was 8:03. Her Fall Fun Run time was 8:02. Consistent. Fast. Well Done.

Next the 1st graders ran the half mile race. Then lastly all the kindergartners lined up on their starting line to run their half mile race. Below, Phoebe is on the right, wearing black shorts and a blue shirt with pink writing on it. Phoebe's goal was to run the whole race, no walking, and to pass people if she could. All of the children had gotten to practice the new course a couple times during the school day a few days leading up to the races. Eric and I had also taken the girls to the new course in the evening to practice running the new course so that they would be better acquainted with it, it's twists and turns, and could give them some instruction on where they should start their sprints.

On your marks. Get Ready. Set. Go!

Go Phoebe! Run hard! Go!!!!!!

There were lots of smiles and some very determined faces from these little runners.

The half mile course was one large loop around the field and then funneled into the same finish line as the 1 mile race, up the short incline and to the finish line.

Here she comes! I began yelling all of my same encouraging directives to this cute girl as she approached and passed me... "You're doing great! Keep going! Run hard! Don't let anyone pass you! Hang with them! Pick it up! Get someone in your sights and go get'em! Pass those boys! Finish strong! Go! Go! Go!"

She ran part of the race with her left arm held across her body. I couldn't figure out why she was doing that as she ran past me... Then it dawned on me she had gotten annoyed with the ribbon that was pinned on her flapping in her face. She was trying her hardest to run fast and hold that ribbon down. Each racer was given a ribbon and it was pinned on them. The ribbon was for identification purposes as they crossed the finish line. Part of the ribbon was perforated and was torn off as they each crossed the finish line, and added onto a stringer of sorts, to mark their place that they finished in the race.

Below, Phoebe is headed up the short incline to the finish line, being cheered on by Daddy and Popee. Phoebe ran the whole race! She passed people, and she finished in the top 1/3 of her classmates! Her official half mile time was 4:53, a PR for her! Way to go, Phoebe! You did fantastic!