We are officially a road racing family. Yesterday all of us ran some version of the Southern Pines Jingle Bell Run/Egg Nog Jog in frigidly cold weather. With snow flakes drifting over the runners at the 9am start, Maria, Anthony, Thomas and Bill took off while the other kids and I cheered them on. Out of our family, Anthony finished the 5K first in 30 min, and Maria was only about 7 min behind him. Maria especially worked hard for the race because Bill told her that if she didn't walk at all, she could have a banana split. Our friend ran with her and encouraged her by saying, "C'mon Banana Split, you can do it!"
Thomas and Bill took longer because they ran the 10K (6.2 miles). Thomas was one of only 6 kids between 1 and 15 to run it, and his training helped him keep a 10 min mile pace so he finished in just over an hour. The best part was watching him sprint to the finish line so he could pass the runner ahead of him.
After our hardcore runners had finished their races, it was time for Charles, Cecilia, James and I to line up at the Egg Nog Jog start with our friends. Sporting adjustable antlers and red noses from the cold, the little kids ran a quick lap and a half around the block--1/2 mile. James got a sudden fit of nerves once we started, so he dragged his feet, looked worried, and helped me push Joseph in the baby jogger until he saw Bill on the sidelines. Then his face lit up and he let go and ran as fast as he could to him. Unfortunately, we were a half a block from the finish line (where I realized that a snow maker was contributing the snowflakes I had seen earlier) so he had a way to go before he was finally done and could slap hands (hooves?) with the Chick-fil-A cow.
