All Comer's Meet

One of the most amazing things about living in our area is the fact that it is Track Town USA. Having married a runner I have inherited a love of everything track, and the fact that I am the mom of some amazing runners means that this is a big part of our world. This past week the Olympic Trials for Track were held at Hayward Field. During the middle of the trials they held an all comer's meet for the kids. I insisted that the kids get a picture in front of the double decker bus. They should just be happy I didn't make them all crowd into the red phone booth, because I definitely considered it. The weather has been pretty goofy here. Thus that is why Midge is wrapped in a blanket. That and the fact she didn't listen to mom when she said to bring a jacket. 

 There were a lot of people there but it was neat to see the track and all of the extras they 

brought in for the trials. The little kids got to do the 60 meter dash first and they had them 

grouped by age in the stands. 

 Huck ran first. He held on to Midge's hand and fell down 1/2 way, 

but he got right back up and kept running to the finish line. To be honest I think he 

wasn't quite sure what to make of the entire thing.

 Little Miss was a fire cracker. As soon as they said go she took off. She kept looking to her right and spotted the fastest runner and crossed over next to her and ran neck and neck until the last few steps she turned on the turbos and beat her. I think it comes from all those races with her older siblings. 

 Leo ran the 400 meters. It was a little hard to see my little guy all alone on the great big track. 

He was amazing and set a personal record of 1:30 and got 4th place. He was the youngest 

because he had just turned 8 and did a fantastic job. 

 Midge is in the pink T-shirt. She got 2nd place and is still learning a lot about pacing. She needed to go out faster in the first 100 meters and we think she could have easily gotten 1st since she has run times recently faster than her 1:21 time. Midge has a tendency to get very anxious before meets. She is so talented and we are trying to teach her ways to work through these panic attacks and channel her anxiety to help her in the race. Sometimes she lets her nerves get the better of her and she stresses herself out. It is a learning process and we are trying to work through it. I think that if she can stick with it and master this she will learn a life skill that will help her in the long run and other aspects in life. In the meantime she is teaching Ken and I patience and the boundaries of when we need to push her and when we need to loosen up and give her more freedom. It is a balancing act. The thing we have come to realize the most is she thrives on positive reinforcement. This might seem obvious, but it isn't always easy to give a child your love and attention when they are screaming at you because they are so nervous. As a parent you have to dismiss what they are saying or at least understand the root of where it is steaming from. From my point of view it isn't always easy because Midge becomes very dependent upon me personally to reassure her and give her 100% of my attention. This isn't always feasible when I also need to give our other 3 children reinforcement and attention. As I said before it is a balancing act, but I am proud of the kids and what they were able to accomplish that day. 

 After the meet we headed over to the Fan area. Each kid got a free T-shirt and were able to play around with some of the hands on activities.