Sunday, June 29, 2014

what a week

Two extended family weddings, a 5k run, and a visit from the Californians.

These girls spent a lot of time together:



And then there was the race.  Several months ago, Stu was diagnosed with diabetes and decided he needed to incorporate more exercise into his life.  He started a couch-to-5k program.  Jack soon joined him, jogging on a treadmill at the gym, and Jessie and Cory decided they would come visit so they could participate in the Lehi 5k.  Herschel and Whitney have done some running together, so they signed up as well.

The race was yesterday morning at 7:30 a.m. This is the start:



They all finished the race and no one place slower than sixth in his or her age group.  I had somewhat mixed feelings about this running business--but this race wasn't about me.  It was about all of them putting in the effort to prepare and complete the race.

Here is the cheering section.


 These two crossed the line close to each other:


This might be my favorite shot--Jack crossing and Stu cheering him on:


And this girl--running not at an altitude she's used to, but still kicking the race's butt:



I cannot describe how emotional I felt as they each crossed the finish line.  How do people who have never run a race just decide one day that they're going to run over three miles in a race that is in a few months?  When they've carried and delivered babies or undergone surgery to lose 100 pounds or had multiple surgeries to remove/replace major organs? 

My heart swelled and my eyes leaked watching them.  Some people around here might have the running bug.

2 comments:

Lisa B. said...

This post brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful family you have.

Jessie said...

Umm, I think I was 18th out of 22. But still. As you well know, it just feels good to use your body. And a little competition never hurt either. :)