cross country

i'm not the mom who thinks my kids are perfect, flawless little creatures who can do no wrong.  sometimes i confess to feeling disappointment in their choices or persistent hang-ups.  i'm sure they feel the same about me.  it's real life~ every day.  we all have room to grow...i have a lot of room, to be sure....but this day, the 2012 St. Clair Catholic District School Board's elementary cross country meet in Canatara Park, was not a day for disappointment.  my three kids showed up...BIG TIME!  and because i'm honest about shortcomings i think it's only fair to show pride in genuine accomplishments.  Miss Layla was first to run, and this was her first meet.  the air was crisp and removing her coat at the start line was not an easy task. 

 

 

 104 girls set off for the trail and Layla's red shirt was lost in the sea of competitors. but not at the finish line...no, not there. to our wonder and complete surprise the first shirt we saw rounding the corner at the end of the race was that of our feisty daughter. she crossed the line FIRST, and both Jeff and I were sort of speechless. i think Layla was stunned herself, and cried a few tears of emotional release for what had just transpired. plus, her hands were really cold...

 

i think the medal and ribbon helped her results sink in, and she was pretty pleased that she dug deep to finish strong.  she says she had a good idea she was in first when she passed a group of girls midway through the race, and then she held her own until the end.  wow...

 

below is adam with his teammates at the starting line.  i love Adam's growth this past year with his running ambitions.  he now whips me in the monthly 3 km race we do with the RoadRunners club (humbling....just a bit).  this past Saturday was no different.  he seems to be more excited about the sport than ever and ran like a champ.  he crossed the line 14th for his age group~ and that was out of 60 competitors.  awesome work, Adam!!!  love to see your effort and drive developing.

 

Miss Hannah...equally amazing to us on this day.  anyone who knows Hannah also knows we have some battles about participation in certain, fairly typical, sporting events that are open to girls her age.  she tends to resist for lots of different reasons.  this sport~ cross country, is one she seems to enjoy.  she attended practice faithfully without complaint and the trail runs are definitely her favourite. 

 

well...she brought it this year and improved greatly from the previous meet and standings. she flew across the line in 13th place with a look of strength and determination that was so fun to see. approximately 50 girls were in her category. 

 

 

once our feet thawed and our body temperatures returned to normal, we could look back on the morning in the park with great satisfaction.  there was great sportsmanship from the TCA competitors and a stronger overall finish than ever with lots of personal bests....

let it be known L, A, and H~ i'm so proud of you for giving your best!!! 

**note** some pictures are blurry because of the pure speed of the person captured in photograph. :)