Dear Diary,
Now that the 100 degree heat has passed, summer is over, our days are back to being on somewhat of a schedule/routine, I am jumping back on the exercise train. There's nothing like signing yourself up and flinging yourself, and your daughter, into a 5k (3.1 miles) a few days before it is to be run. Right? Just jump right in, I say! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Seriously though, Sarah and I survived and we're back on course. Sarah wasn't really ever off course, just me, the squishy in the wrong areas of my body mom. So here we go again, down with the squishyness, and up with the muscle! Mile after mile after mile will be pounded into my Asics this fall. See you at the races.
Sincerely, the Mom who wants to be smok'in hot and in shape but just loves food and sleep a little too much.
The Treehouse Labor Run 5k ~ September 5th
This is the race that we prepared for with only four days of running in advance. Yikes! I wouldn't recommend doing that. But, signing up for races is what makes me get my butt in gear. So, there we were on the starting line of the Labor Run on September 5th.... I gave myself and Sarah the pep talk about being strong, no walking, and sprinting at the end of the race, and we were off, literally!
We wore our Labor Run blue tshirts, and bright pink shorts. Sarah liked that we were matching, and our fan club, of three people, could locate us in the race easier. We do have a great fan club....worth mentioning again, they go early to races with us, they believe we will run well, they cheer and yell loudly for us, they take pictures of us, and they are pretty good at building us up even if we don't get mind-blowing times. Everyone should have a fan club of three like ours.
Below, we are racing into the finish line. We made it. No walking! Whoopie! Sarah did tell me after mile #1 that she wanted to quit. I told her, "NO quiting." Then a couple more times she asked me if she could walk, but I told her "NO walking." At the end she had enough steam left to sprint, beating me and that guy in the picture below.
*Sarah 29:58 - 1st place in her age bracket (females 9yrs - 12 yrs) Overall place 32 our of 187*
Race 4 Freedom 5k ~ September 10th
Five days later and four more days of training back under our belts I signed us up and threw us into the Race 4 Freedom 5k. It was a cool morning. A great weather day for a run! We wore matching running outfits again for easier spotting and Team Hendrickson unity.
There were 970 participants in this race. It was a much larger race than the Labor Run. I am learning that I make some pretty amusing faces when I run. As you will see in the pictures of myself below, I have expressions of exhaustion and death on my face. I however, did not die, and did not realize until recent races that I make such terribly embarrassing faces. Sarah and I got a very good laugh out of looking at pictures of myself running. My husband however did not laugh, (good choice on his part) but instead, matter of factly, just stated they weren't funny, that is just what I look like when I run. Oh boy, I am thankful he didn't laugh at me, but seriously how could he not, look at me? Uhhgggh. I have to work on smiling while I am running or something. Maybe I need to think about things like puppies, chocolate sheet cake, pumpkin spice latte's, or something other than how much I dislike running while I am running.....
We lined up in the area for people who wanted to run 8 1/2 to 9 minute miles. I gave Sarah the pep talk again. No walking. We are strong. Run your heart out today. Do your very best. Ready set go!
Sarah hung with me until about the mile and a half point, then dropped back a little ways. I really thought she was much closer behind me than she actually was. As I passed our fan club at mile number three I yelled to them, "I don't know where Sarah is..." That way, Eric knew to get an eye on her, make sure she was okay, and shout some encouragement to her.... Thank goodness she kept right on pounding the concrete. She did not walk, just slowed a bit, and kept right on trucking.
Finish line pictures of me are below... Laugh it up if you want. Remember I laughed too, and am now aware of this facial problem that I have, and will work on improving and correcting it to portray sheer happiness.
Here comes Sarah! She ran another good 5k. She is so athletic and a good runner. I would have never thought of running 3.1 miles when I was 9 years old, not even 1 mile. She has logged many many miles in the last year of her life training for races and running in races. Sarah's commitment, determination, and desire to do well and win make my heart happy.
There were also KIDS races after the 5k was finished. Silas and Phoebe ran in the 4-6 year olds 100 yard dash, and Sarah ran again, in the 7-12 year olds quarter mile race. Go Team Hendrickson!
Phoebe has only run in 1/2 mile races before so this sprinting race was a little different for her, but she did well and was all smiles!
Silas has never run in any sort of race before, but he has watched his sisters and I run in plenty. He has heard us talk about running and things to do when you are racing.... His short legs were moving so fast as he ran past me toward the finish line! After his race he told me he was just trying to catch and beat the boy in the blue shirt. Good job, buddy!!!!
Sarah ran a good quarter mile coming right off her 5k. She placed 4th.
As we were riding in our vehicle the day after the race, Silas said to us, "In my race yesterday I was thinking about Flash. And, I could be fast like Flash." (Flash is a superhero.) I replied, "That's great. You were trying to be fast like Flash?! I know what Phoebe thinks about...Cheetahs! She channels her inner Cheetah." (Phoebe, was now looking at me smiling from ear to ear in agreement with my Cheetah statement.) Then, from the backseat... Sarah said, "I think about cupcakes when I run." Laughter erupted like a volcano all over our vehicle, except not from Sarah who was sitting there smiling...probably thinking about cupcakes again.
ALS Walk ~ September 17th
We joined the Hutton Construction ALS Walk team and helped raise funds and awareness for ALS, (Lou Gehrig's Disease). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS patients eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. We have a dear family friend who died of ALS in 2006, Jeff McCloud, so this is a cause we get behind every year. This year the Hutton Construction family has been touched by someone who also has ALS, an employee's wife, named Sandra. Sandra's muscles that help her talk, chew, and swallow have already been weakened and left ineffective by ALS. We all walked in her honor.
One of the most inspiring moments of Saturday morning for me was before the walk, during the National Anthem.... as the Anthem was being sung, Sarah whispered to me and pointed out for me to "Look! Someone is signing." I looked over and it was Sandra, the woman with ALS that we were walking for. She was singing her heart out with sign language. It was an inspiring moment with all that is going on in our country, to see a person so profoundly effected by ALS showing respect and honor to the United States of America and our country's flag. What a great thing for my daughter, myself, and many others to have witnessed!
Eric, our kids, and I each raised $100 or more for the ALS Association and towards our team's total. Our team total was $12,235. Making us the top fundraising team! Great job Hutton Construction! AND, THANK YOU to each one of YOU that DONATED to the ALS Association, helping us reach our individual and team goals, and more importantly helping those individuals and families who battle ALS daily. THANK YOU DONORS!
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