Kyler set his PR three weeks ago at the Millersville Turkey Trot which was a tough, hilly 5k course. We were sure he could shave a at least a few seconds off that today on the Jingle Bell course.
The race went off at 1:00 and we were in the middle of the pack. It felt like the start of a large marathon as everyone moved forward. We went out at a good pace and were able to open it up a little after the first quarter mile. Kyler was really excited being in such a big race, and he opened it up a little faster that I thought was good for him. I decided to let him go and only eased him back slightly. We hit the mile mark in 9:38, and I knew then he was going to shatter his PR.
The second mile was going well and we were holding pace, but I noticed Kyler was weaving a little, and seemed to be struggling. At mile two, I knew he was fighting a side stitch. We dialed it back, and even walked for about 20 seconds, but he quickly got back up to pace when he realized his one friend from soccer was starting to gain on him.
At the 2 1/2 mile mark, he wanted to walk again, but I told him the finish was only 1/2 mile - 4 minutes away - and he decided to push it home. We made the final turn and at that point he could see the finish and put on a strong kick. We crossed the line in 29:30, almost 3 minutes off his old PR. Needless to say, I was quite proud of him, especially for toughing it out at the end.
Pre-race goofing off
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We had hats, but no bells
5 comments:
the pre-race pic is hilarious...cut 3 minutes off...it can only be getting better at his age. i love jingle bell runs. congrats to kyler! merry christmas fish n' fam!
Fish,
Nice pics, both of them. Aren't the bells supposed to be in the hats...?
Oh and congrats to Kyler on the PR!!
Outstanding run, KYLER and Dad!!!!!!! You guys really rocked it!
Wow, great job Kyler!! Love the pics. Sounds like you had a wonderful time.
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