PR Family

Report:
Today was a family race day. At the last minute we decided to all run today. Elizabeth (my daughter - age 8) and I signed up for the 10k while Yvonne (my wife) and William (my son - age 4) signed up for the 5k. We got to bed early last night and got up early this morning. I was impressed with everyone's ability (including my own) to get our butts out the door on time. We parked near the finish, grabbed our fluids, and headed to the start. We stopped for the bathrooms, realized there was no chip timing for the race, and said hello to Karyl-Lynne T. , Melli H. , Michele S. , and Jenny (I don't think she's on DailyMile). We also spotted a fellow youth runner we've seen in year's past, Buffy, and said hello to her as well.

After wishing each other good luck, we went to our separate starting areas and waited for the gun. Elizabeth and I started at the back and fell into a comfortable pace. After clicking off the first mile I gradually picked up the pace a bit until I saw that she wasn't hanging on. So we slowed down a bit and took more walking breaks. She did great until Mile 3.5 when she started to fade. So we took more walking breaks until about Mile 5. She caught a bit of a second wind and did great at running a bit more. This was about when I got a text from Michele saying the ladies were at Cracker Barrel. Knowing we wouldn't make it, I just kept running, doing my best to coax and cheer Elizabeth on.

My favorite part was the last few blocks. I was proud of her already for doing such a great job despite being tired. But the last few blocks were awesome. As we got close to Mile 6, she saw the finish line. I asked if she could start running from the Mile 6 mark to the finish. She decided to start before that and took off at an average pace. I easily caught up and had to remind her to finish to the right side. After a couple course corrections to get her to the right side, she upped her speed a bit. Then a little more. By the time she heard my wife and son cheering for her, she was going at a pretty good clip. I could keep up but I was approaching my sprinting gear. I didn't expect her to go much faster and actually expected her to fade. Turns out, she had another gear and took off at a full sprint. So as I got to my wife, I ditched her bottle and mine and took off at a sprint as well. I could barely catch her. She faded half a gear right before the finish but kept going through the finish line. She probably had a tough look on her face but I was smiling like a little kid. It was so fun to race with her!

All in all, I had a good time. I was a bit worried around Miles 4 and 5 but she toughed it out and finished strong. I wasn't in this race for any PR and was happy to help her get both a distance and a time PR. My son meanwhile was super-depressed that he finished last in the 5k race. But I gave him a big sweaty hug (which grossed him out) and told him I was proud of him just for finishing. My wife said he walked nearly all of it but I'm still proud of him and his new distance and time PR.

Weather:
Temps were about 70F to 75F. Sky was clear. Slight breeze. Humidity was high.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was coffee and yogurt. During the run I had a bottle of plain ice water and a bottle of Hammer Fizz with ice. Recovery was Hammer Recoverite followed by a full breakfast of a Power Sandwich, cheese danish, and frozen mocha.

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
No special gear but I did have my phone just in case.

Codename - PR Family
Well, only two of us got PRs today but it was fun playing crew chief and cheerleader. Our finish times were:
William (5k) - 1:11:32 (PR)
Yvonne (5k) - 1:11:34
Elizabeth (10k) - 1:28:27 (PR)
Neil (10K) - 1:28:28

Splits:
Mile 1 - 11:48
Mile 2 - 13:11
Mile 3 - 13:00
Mile 4 - 16:18
Mile 5 - 15:40
Mile 6 - 16:46
Finish - 1:28:28