Preparing for the big race

Downtown Brunswick sponsors a 1 mile race each fall called the Potomac Street Mile, and they have a category for kids under 18. I asked the kids if they'd like to run it, and my voice was drowned out by enthusiastic cheers. I took them all to the tow path for a wog (walk/jog) so they could see just how far a mile is.

On your mark... Get set

GO!

The 2 specs at the top of the picture are Jake and Hank. I had no expectation of Ella and Shane being able to do it, but I asked Jake to jog slowly with Hank to help him pace himself. I guess 'slowly' is a relative term.

The big boys waited for me and the littles at the mile mark, and then Jake and I switched roles. He carried Shane, and I jogged with the other two.

Had he run a steadier, slower pace originally, Hank could have rocked the mile with no trouble. I think Ella could do it, too, but she doesn't like to get sweaty. Princesses are allowed to glow, but apparently sweating is frowned upon.

We got to the end and then walked back to Jake and Shane so we could all cross the finish line together.

Muscle poses at the finish line

In the end, Hank is signed up for the race, and Ella, Shane and I are signed up for the walk. Jake has Bible Quizzers practice that morning so he'll be sitting around getting smart while we're running around getting sweaty.