Pony Express 5k

This is one of my favorite races.

It's little and it's basic, but it's local (the start is 3mi from our house) and it's fast!  It was the first running race I did (my first actual race was a tri), which adds sentiment to it.  And it's my PR race.

It's held the first weekend in June during Pony Express Days-our city celebration.
Which means that this year it was held 3 days after my due date.
Which means that for me it wasn't happening.

I mentioned a few months back that for Valentine's Day Aaron agreed to run it for me since I would either be past due or have just delivered.  The man knows me well enough to know that this made an awesome gift.  For runners married to non-runners, you understand.

Thankfully I didn't fall into the past due category, and had a squishy little 8 day old bundle of love when Pony Express rolled around this year.

Though Aaron's Couch to 5k plans were derailed by some still undetermined mystery health issue that landed him in the hospital and then brought him the pleasure of being scoped from every possible angle and was capped off with a camera swallow, and then he was fulfilling his capstone hours working in the PICU overnight and on weekends, I assumed he'd just walk most of it.
But he said he would run it, so run he did!

At all of the races sponsored by or benefitting The Cupcake Charity, someone runs as a cupcake. Usually it's one of the cute little tiny runner ladies.  This time it was James.  Awesome.  Complete with the hat since it was Pony Express days and all.

(this was long after he finished, he's one of the speedy locals)

The Chik-fil-a cows were there to help keep the other kids entertained.

Malia was the first one in for our family, hitting her sub-30 goal!

She was just a little bit excited about that.

Shortly after that Alaina came blowing in.

She has a killer finish.

And then came Taylor...

As the girls were cheering him in he yelled "Leave me alone!!"

Ah, feel the love.

And then came my love around that last corner.

Still running!

I'm so excited that he was able to run the whole thing!

Then Dallin finished up for our family.  The kids were excited to run him in.

My FIVE runners!!  Way to represent!

I did get that little inner tug of wishing I was out there racing, but it was tempered by the 8 day old bundle strapped to my chest.  Not to mention that it's about time I was the one welcoming people across the finish line since they've been so good at doing it for me.  It was so fun to cheer them in!
(yes, I did get a little emotional, but baby was only a week old so I can blame hormones, right?)

And thanks to a fabulous runner friend who knows that a picture of the whole family at an event is pretty much unheard of, a shot of the whole herd.

When you squish them in close together with two in a stroller and one strapped to me, nine kids doesn't look like that many!
Oh my word, I have NINE kids.