this weekend was a busy one. on saturday, ella and i both raced at the autumn woods classic. it was a cold day for a race, but still pretty (much like our wedding day - cold, but clear and sunny, leaves changing). i ran the 10k with a personal best of 55:53, despite slacking on the training lately. last year my time for the same race was 1:02:44; my personal best at a 10k was at the get in gear back in april with a time of 56:19. we met up with some triathlon friends there who were running either the 5k or the 10k. some were doing their first 10k and everyone else also set personal bests. ella did the kids dash and declared that she ‘won’ after she received her finishers ribbon. we have no idea if she was first or not. she said she wanted to run by herself, but we chased after her with a ‘go ella go!’ sign and the camera…but could not catch up to her! she is a very good runner. she had a great time at the race, as did fiona. its a very family friendly event. after the race, we headed to a bday party for one of ella’s good friends. it was a full, but good, day.
on sunday, it was bill’s turn! we got up and had a relaxed morning since, unlike my races which start at the crack of dawn or shortly there after, bill’s race didn’t start until 11am. we had tea and waffles, read the paper, etc. finally we headed out and got to lake rebecca park with just enough time to spare to allow bill to preview a bit of the course and for us to hike out to a good spot to watch. if you are unfamiliar with what cyclocross is, the easiest way to explain it is riding mountain bike type paths on a road bike with slightly fatter tires…and with obstacles (logs, water, fences, etc.). sounds, fun, no? we found a nice spot in the sun just off a straight, clear part of course, close to the start/finish. nearby there were trumpeter swans in lake rebecca and the girls had a treat seeing and listening to them. it was fun being the spectator for a change, and even better to see how happy bill was while racing. it had been over 10 years since he had done a cyclocross race and about 8 years since his last mountain bike race. we did a duathlon together this past spring, but that was as a team. anyway, he did a great job and looked very much in his element. he is hoping to do at least one more cyclocross race yet this fall. after bill’s 4th (?) lap, ella yelled after him ‘go papa! I LOVE YOU!’ which bill barely heard, but all the other dads waiting around for the next race asked ella to cheer for them too, since their kids were at home. on the way out, ella amazed us by figuring out a way to hitch a ride on bill’s bike. she stood on one of his very small clipless pedals and held on to the top tube…and rode that way for at least a half-mile. after that, we came home so bill could clean up, had some lunch, then headed to the bike shop so i could take advantage of my store credit (the reimburse for some of the races each team member does). we also asked about a cycling team for bill to join so that he could hear about more races and also get some discounts/credits with the shop. after that, groceries, home for dinner, walked greta, baths, and early to bed since its a school night!
ella heads back for her second week at school tomorrow, riding the bus there for the first time. bill or i will still pick her up at noon, until we know that she feels confident taking the bus. if it all goes well, she may start taking the bus home as well (EEK!). going to school is an adjustment, and she confessed that she misses some of her regular play mates, so we’ll need to set up afternoon dates with them. other than that, thing seem to be going really well.
fi is her usual self, although she’s been up more at night lately. we suspect her 2 year molars are the culprit. she is ever silly and mischievous, keeping us on our toes. she is a great cheerleader. she has mastered ‘go mama go’, ‘go ewwa go’, and now ‘ go papa go’. next weekend we’ll be shouting ‘go fiona go!’ as she does her very first race. its a very non-competitive, very short kids fun run which bill will do with her, but she LOVES to run with ella and wants to do everything ella does. ella was 3 when she did her first race, so fi’s a bit young, but then again she can’t be kept on the sidelines much longer.
up next: big woods half-marathon trail run for me on saturday, kids races for ella and fi while i’m out slogging on the trails, more cyclocross for bill on sunday. if the events and/or race fees don’t kill us first, we’ll be living to a healthy, happy, ripe old age with all this exercise and time in the fresh, open air.
