Jamison's long awaited freshman track season began this week!
I say long awaited, because Jamison ended the cross country season itching to race more! He was totally dedicated to training all winter. He worked hard, running outdoors and lifting weights almost every day, all winter long. Many days I would wish to say, "Just skip today! It is too cold." But I kept my mommy-ing to myself and trusted the coach. In the end, there was never a bit of frost bite, and "JD" (as his coach calls him) is sporting some bigger-than-ever muscles as a result of his hard work.
At the very end of winter training, Jamison's back started bothering him. Pretty bad. After a couple of chiropractor visits and the opinions of 2 physical therapists, we discovered that one of his legs has grown just the tiniest bit longer than the other. This difference is really minor. It would most likely never be noticed were he not running so much. His legs will most likely even out as his growth continues. (He has grown about 5 inches this school year!) However, that tiny difference was enough to cause some back strain. He took a couple weeks off. Then he began running again, with a slight riser in his shoe. He is seeing a PT twice a week. She is working on getting his back muscles and quads to loosen up. He is back to training hard. His pain is not gone, but it is improving.
As a result of this injury, he was not able to run at the first meet of the year. After all the work he put in over the winter, it was a bit of a bummer! However, we are SO thankful to have found the cause of his pain. We are totally thrilled with the PT who is working with him. The first diagnosis he had been given was scary, so we are extremely grateful that the root of his pain is something so minor!
Adversity makes life sweeter, in a way. Watching him with his toe on the line, ready to race - was really sweet!
He ran the mile. Indoor.
Pacing was tricky since they do not ever practice on an indoor track.
He ran well.
Cautiously and thoughtfully.
Next time he will pace differently, but he was pleased with the event just the same.
Jay and his team mate, Joey, discussing the race.
I have to tell you these boys are FAST. I was not a runner in high school. I began running (or jogging a Jay would tease me) after Sierra was born. I have never been fast, but I have felt like I've been in pretty good shape a time or two. Watching these boys run - is humbling! The top speed on my treadmill is 10 mph - or a 6 minute mile pace. I have rarely to never ran that fast. Not even when I have been training "hard" doing sprint intervals. These boys are running just over 5 min miles. (I think Jay's season goal is to break 5 min.) My tall son is running a whole mile faster than I could run one sprint interval. It is crazy! It is also awesome!
Even Chad has recently confessed that he will never be as fast as Jamison - even if he got into good shape again. (That is a major moment in a father's life!) It is such an incredible thing to watch our son slowly become a man.
And a GOOD man, he is becoming! He did one thing that made me extra proud this meet. Jay is a shoe lover. He knows who wears what shoes. He never wants the same shoes as a team mate. He is not fussy or picky about other clothing items, but running shoes must be special. He ordered his racing spikes online. He chose them because you could not buy them in town. They were well rated, exactly the type of spike he needed - and they would (hopefully) be original. He even ordered his second choice in color, because he thought his first choice would be the most common. Because he is not always so fussy, I indulge his racing shoe fetish. I close my eyes to the price, knowing that confidence can be bought (to an extend) once in a while. Well, he wore those special spikes for the very first time at this meet. And when Jay noticed a team mate who is new to track did not have spikes to race in - he allowed him to wear his own.
Makes me thing if these words:
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth." 1 John 3:17-18
Nothing humbles and inspires me more than seeing my kids live LOVE.
Jamison offering his new shoes to a new friend inspires me to give more freely - and to share the BEST of my stuff.
On a totally different note, being the youngest, is not always what it is cracked up to be! Our little man is forced to endure many hours in the car each week waiting for the big kids to get done with one activity or another. And when it gets really, really boring - I hand him my iphone. (Parenting has gotten easier in these days of technology! I used to drag a bag of stuff everywhere. Now I just upload an ap!)
At Jamison's track meet, Joshua decided the camera was the most entertaining part of my phone. He took hundreds of photos - mostly of himself. He would take photos for 20 minutes, then I would delete them. Then he would repeat the activity again.
Below is a sampling of his talents!
Enjoy!
(my personal favorite)
