My Running Star!

I am so proud of my Ashlee! She ran the Folsom's Run With Nature 5k today... without Mom by her side. She had the pre-race jitters, which we all get and thrive on. Her goal was to come in at 30 minutes (approximately 3 10-minute miles.) I was waiting for her at the finish line, and just as I looked down to hand Rachel something in her stroller, I heard the announcer say, "Ashlee Hart." I looked up just in time to see her crossing the finish line at 30:52! She did great and ran the entire time.

BEFORE

AFTER

I had a really neat experience while there. About 10 minutes into the race the girls and I headed over to the finish line to hang out and wait for Ashlee. It was very quiet, as everyone else was over by the vendor booths, with only one other girl on the grassy hill beside us. A few minutes into waiting I heard a single round of clapping followed by a, "Good job man" from one of the announcers. I looked up to see a lone runner, crossing the finish line at 16:40. It was almost surreal. What struck me about this was that here was this guy, crossing the finish line at an amazing pace of 3 consecutive miles at just over 5 minutes per mile, and what was he greeted by? A single applaud. He was the winner, but there were no bells or whistles. No one expected any of the runners to finish so soon, and in their pre-occupation over at the booths, missed the crossing of the champion. This man's accomplishment, while quite extraordinary, was done in rather humble circumstances. I was glad I was there to witness it.

Then came the other runners: some in pairs, crossing together. Others pushing themselves to their absolute max to shave just a few seconds off their time. Some striving to pass the person immediately in front of them before the finish line, thus forming their own competition to get one-up on the totem pole. And there were others still who trotted across the line at the same slow-and-steady pace at which they started. All of this really got me thinking about the analogy of the runner, and how different running styles and the personalities that shine through at the finish line are so indicative of the way we live life.

Ashlee, you made Mom proud today. Can't wait to be there alongside you next year.