Last night, after logging around 570 miles in summer training and burning through 2 and a half pairs of shoes, Jamison (and team) ran his/their first race of the 2014 Cross Country Season.
Pre-meet team meeting,
one final pre-race strider,
and the racing officially begins!
Before Jamison left to race I got a bit teary as I tried to explain just how proud I am of him. It feels so good to be proud of my son. I am proud of his dedication, his determination, his humility, his intensity, his endurance. I am proud of WHO he is.
I am also very excited about how he raced. (I am not more or less proud of him based on his performance - but I certainly celebrate his success along with him.) In my opinion it was definitely the BEST race of his career. He raced his fastest time ever. More importantly he stayed alert, raced hard and fast no matter what happened with his teammates, and trusted his training. He showed much leadership and maturity as he raced.
In the end he finished 8th overall and 2nd for his team.
I am so very excited to watch the season develop. I expect there will be many reasons to celebrate for both my son and his teammates. There are a whole lot of runners that show much promise. It will be so fun to watch them all progress!
Jamison's cheering section was smaller than usual. Brenna and Sierra were both staying with friends. (There is a part of me that HATES how old my kids are getting. I miss the days when we were all together almost all of the time.)
Grandpa Scott does his best to be at every race. I'm so thankful.
Mataya was happy as a could be in her new carrier! (Don't you love the CHS colors I found for her?) She loves to be in this carrier. She spent a couple hours in it last night and never made a wimper. She even took a nap while we chased the boys around the course. What a sweet sister she is!
Chad was there as well, but he didn't make it into the photos. Sorry babe!
(Photo credits go to my mom. I am, once again, so thankful to have them close and involved in the kids' activities!)
(Photo credits go to my mom. I am, once again, so thankful to have them close and involved in the kids' activities!)
I plan to savor every moment of this season. Cross country is my favorite.
