The Kids Jr. Bix7. . .

Emma signed up and ran her first race at the end of July!!! I had run a race earlier in the summer and was training for another one when Emma asked if she would ever get to run a race. The Quad Cities Times BIX7 is one of the most famous races here in town. It's been on my bucket list for several years and this summer I decided it was time to run it. The day before the big race, there's a race for kids of all ages. We signed Emma up an even bought some fancy new running clothes! She was running circles around the house in preparation! It's amazing how matching running clothes make a person feel like a runner!

We had to get all her heavy hair pulled back and then she was ready to go!

My little runner!

There were so many kids running the race! There was a division for each age group! Adri could have run the race, too, but I decided to wait. Keeping track of Emma was a job in itself! Fortunately, the organizers did an awesome job of corralling the kids keeping them safe!

Getting ready to run! She was so excited!

Creatively, the organizers used balloons to help the kids know where to go. Emma ran with the 6-year old group. I think there were about sixty kids!!

And they're off!!!!!

I was so proud of her! She took off running at full speed! The race was half a mile and she had never run that far before. It was an out-and-back course and there were people cheering all along the way.

Here she comes!!

Bless her heart, my little flower-smelling, enjoy-life girl, loves to look around and talk with random people. As she was nearing the finish line, she started walking and talking with one of the adult volunteers. She couldn't have cared less about the competition! She was just enjoying the environment. Her face was flushed and she was grinning from ear to ear!

One last burst of energy to cross the finish line!!

She was ecstatic about her medal! She couldn't stop looking at it and telling me how happy she was to have it! I was just so proud of her for participating and doing her best!!

After the race, she had her bib signed by Mr. Bill Rogers himself! Rogers was an incredible runner who won the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon in the 1970s, as well as several others marathons. At 65, he's still running around and cheering on those who are racing!

Proud daddy with our little racer!

I could not have been more proud of her! She ran her best and had a great time! I decided I really want to instill in her a love for being active. If that means running, that's awesome. I'll look forward to running with her some day. If being active means biking or group sports or gymnastics, that's OK. I just want her to know how important it is for her to be moving! It's also fun and good for us! 

Recently, Emma said she wants to run every BIX7 kids' race until she's not a kid anymore! As long as we're in town, I think I'll try to help her meet that goal! It was a great experience for her!