I’ll start off by being completely honest: The day before I wasn’t even sure if Isla and I were going to do this race! While Kyle had already signed up for the full 10km race, I wasn’t completely feeling up to doing the 3km fun run with Isla the day before. The weather wasn’t really all that great and the roads were going to be icy, but of course after asking Isla if she wanted to run in a race she said yes, and who could deny her? Certainly not me …

So on Sunday off we went to just outside of Vernon for the race. We had a decent drive in but then motion sickness sunk in for Isla and we had just, JUST, parked the truck and got her out of her seat when she barfed in the truck. (Thank goodness for rubber floor mats!) I asked if she still wanted to race and she said yes, so not wanting to disappoint her, I got into my running shoes and she hers and we signed up while Kyle warmed up.

The 3km fun run started immediately after the 10km runners left the starting line, so Isla was excited to start. She got off to a good pace, but the roads were snowy and icy and her feet eventually got cold and she wasn’t enjoying it. Norah was having a grand ol’ time just being pushed in the stroller, but she eventually grew weary of it all and also started whining. Fun times!

And she’s off!!

And she’s spent.

There’s one thing that never fails to impress me, and that’s the encouragement that everyone gives one another; Isla was cheered on by the race volunteers and even the other runners to keep going and that she was doing awesome. Even the few 10km runners who were passed us on their way to the finish line told Isla she could do it. (I’d be out of breath and dying if I were running that far!)

I think the big cheering section at the end gave Isla an extra bit of adrenaline, because she managed to run one last time to get through the finish line with a smile on her face. Yay! We managed to finish the 3km run with about 10 minutes to spare before we expected Kyle to finish his 10km, and both girls were excited to cheer him through. :)

Overall, it was a pretty decent start to the 2017 racing season! The cold weather is behind her and Isla’s already looking forward to the next one!