GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!

This morning Jay ran the Watermelon Classic 5K, a race that takes place on July 4th each year. It's hot, it's humid, and it's crowded (it's one of the biggest races in Jackson), but that doesn't stop Jay from loving it (for some reason). This is his 4th year running it! (I ran it with him once back in 2012, when the kids were young enough to just run the Tot Trot instead of the 1-mile Fun Run.)

Knowing that I wouldn't be racing today (and not the least bit disappointed about it - I dislike summer races greatly, at least in the Deep South), I decided that I needed a good sign to hold up near the finish line to help all the runners kick it in, and Wimpy Goat gave me some inspiration:

 Unfortunately, Cora awoke at 4:15 this morning with itchy legs (bug bites) and never went back to sleep (since she was too uncomfortable to settled back down and our alarms were set for 4:45 anyway, in order to get to Jackson an hour before the 7:30 race start). We pulled James out of bed, still deeply sleeping, at 5:30, but he was amenable to it, since we immediately handed over his Kindle for the hour drive. This background info will be important later...

Hanging with mama and getting sunblocked-up while daddy warmed up

 Ready to go cheer on some patriotic runners!

 Jay had a rough race due to the heat and was disappointed not to get a PR, so I'm encouraging him to sign up for another 5K in 2-3 weeks and give it another shot. He trained so hard for this event, but he hasn't raced since November (the Soldier Half), and since racing can really set your nerves on edge, sometimes it's best to have a tune-up race before a PR race. I was very proud of him for performing as well as he did today, regardless of the final numbers (because really, in running, those numbers are only important to you and nobody else), and I have every confidence in him that he can get the time he wants if the conditions are right.

 The kids enjoyed the patriotic craft tent, which included free face painting.

 Cora was excited for her race and looked adorable stretching with the crowd.

 Even after last year's racing debacle, Cora decided to try again this year. (James once again declined, as he did back in April, and that is completely OK with us. We would never push him to do something he doesn't want to do, and we certainly don't want to pay registration fees for activities that the kids don't enjoy. He likes to run, but not to race.) We made sure Cora wore good running shoes this year (they may have sparkles, but they're Saucony's similar to what I wear, since we have similar foot structure) that actually FIT (since last year at this event her biggest complaint was about her shoes hurting her feet), and I ran with her to keep her feeling safe and comfortable (and make sure she didn't sprint out too fast). She finished in 11:27, a very nice time compared to her 12:44 here last year. Her race wasn't without a few dramatics (it was pretty hot by the 9:00 start - well before the cooling thunderstorms came through, and the first half of the 1-mile race is uphill), but she ran the entire second half with a new buddy and a huge smile on her face, so we'll call it good. She ended up taking 3rd place in her 1-6 age group (out of 12 girls aged 6-and-under)

 She was pretty happy to receive a trophy!

 After the awards ceremony, we went over to the big, shaded playground for an hour (since there was no bouncy house at the Classic this year, and James needed to get some energy out).

 After that we went by Miskelly's to start the couch hunt (ours are SO BAD - we've only had them about 5 years and the bonded leather is peeling off practically every inch), and bribed the kids with a merry-go-round ride if they behaved while we perused the sectional sofas first.

 All those pretty horses and they chose the cup... I was nauseated just watching them, since they were able to turn the center pole and make that thing spin in circles, while they were also spinning in circles with the horses...

 We'll most likely go with this set, once we save up for it. It won the comfort, style, and size categories, and we're hoping fabric will fare better with the animal claws than the thin leather did...

 We took the kids to Pig and Pint afterward for a delicious (and hearty) lunch. They had the pork belly corn dogs and we had the sampler plate (chicken, pulled pork, and brisket - so much meat, but so very good). We hung out there while a strong thunderstorm passed through, then headed home on mostly clear roads before more storms showed up later in the day...