I guess I am writing in days of threes lately.

C had two races over the past three days – one on Thursday in Red Wing and today in Winona at St. Mary’s University. She had two really good runs. The weather on Thursday was a little wet leading up to the race, but during the running it didn’t rain. The team stuck together for most of the run and with 400 yards left C kicked it in. She said when she heard someone on the sidelines yell out the distance it registered that it was the length of a track and with track season not too long ago she could easily mentally see how far she had to go. She knew she could sprint the rest of the way and she ran hard. It was nice to see her glowing and the confidence that reappeared. It was also a highlight that my mama was there to watch.

Friday I went out with some girlfriends for part of the evening – that was fun. While I was away C went for a walk and did some yoga with her friend. Apparently they were giggling discussing their guy teammates and how well they would be balancing in some of the poses. Later on she went for a run and Willie walked. We needed to get to bed early but we still stayed up a little later than we should have.

Winona is an hour away and the team needed to be there at 8. Willie set his alarm for 5:45 as we wanted to be out of the house between 6:50 and 7. I woke up at one point and thought to myself, well it must be early yet because I haven’t heard the alarm go off, but then I turned and looked at the window and there was a little too much light coming in. So I hurried out of bed and to the kitchen to check the time on the stove – it was 6:45! I quickly went and woke Willie up and we started to get ready. C was already up and prepared to go. I tried calling my friend nearby but her phone went to voicemail, so I tried another friend and was able to get her. They had not left yet but were close so I asked if they would mind grabbing C. Willie and I continued to hurry and get ready. Thankfully he and C had already packed the team tent in the car last night and I had already made Cs breakfast and laid out snacks the night before as well. C was picked up and Willie and I left about 15 minutes later.

C arrived on time. The team was having their pictures taken when Willie and I showed up, so instead of the runners putting up the team tent, a group of us parents did it.

The day was great. Cross country races are fun because you rarely watch from just one spot. You hurry between areas trying to get as many glimpses of your runner as possible. We were remembering when C ran the junior high version of this race back in ‘24 and how Willie could really only watch from one spot and he had to stay out of the sun. This time it was overcast, but not cold, and he was able to move quickly between multiple spots on the course to see C. We loved it.

We were all pretty tired by the time we got home – despite not waking up as early as we were supposed to – so naps were in order. Well, Willie and I took a nap. C had a small one on the car ride home.

None of my photos from today have loaded.