Running with the Cows

Wyatt ran his first half-marathon Saturday in a (chip) time of 1:42:19 officially placing 15th overall.  He ran really smart, taking it very easy in the early miles and then when he found he had a lot left hammering the last few.

Olathe Middle School City Track Meet

I got out of my car at the track meet just as they were announcing the final call for the 1600m run.  When I found Wyatt he told me that he wasn’t feeling very well.  He said his stomach was upset and he felt nauseated.  I told him it would be OK and that it wouldn’t affect his race.  He didn’t seem convinced, but I reassured him a couple more times.  I didn’t want him to worry about it, and also I thought it was true. 

After 3 other mile races they finally lined up the 8^th grade boys.  Wyatt started out in control of himself.  A few boys took off a little fast and he let them go, which was the right thing to do.  By 200m in he was gaining on the lead pack of 4 boys or so, but unfortunately he didn’t quite reach them to duck in behind by the time they turned into the first homestretch and a pretty significant headwind.  He ran that stretch mostly alone in sort of a no man’s land between the leaders and the mid-packers.  Fortunately he was able to gain more ground and get solid contact with the leaders by the backstretch of the second lap and held that position through 800.

Strong move taking the lead in the 3rd lap

In the third lap he made a really bold and strong move, one that I am really proud of.  Going around the first turn he surged and took over the lead.  He continued to push the issue in the backstretch and only one kid stayed with him as they began to separate themselves from the remainder of the field.  Going into the second turn, though, he had some doubt and it messed him up a little.  Before the race I had pointed to the flags and tried to caution him about the wind, and he told me later that this made him nervous.  At this critical juncture of the race, I’m afraid my voice in his head did not help.  He had great momentum going into the turn, but decided not to keep the lead and instead slowed way down and ducked behind because I had him worried about the wind.  In retrospect I wonder if he had maintained his momentum and aggression if the end result would have been different.  It certainly did seem that after the far turn of the third lap he kind of lost his fire.  I think at a minimum he and the kid who was trying to stay with him might have further separated themselves from the field and he might have guaranteed himself a second place finish.  It’s hard to say, but regardless, the kid ran a smart, tactical race with few mistakes and he was in the hunt leading the City championship in the third lap.  That’s pretty cool.  The third lap was only an 89, but it was a well run lap, and would certainly have been at least an 84 if Wyatt had maintained the attack.

Fighting for 3rd

The fourth lap got tougher.  In the end he ran an 82 final lap trying really hard to hang on to a podium spot.  He lost third to another kid from Frontier Trail by only 0.05 seconds and finished the race officially in 5:31, although I had him 3 or 4 tenths under 5:31. 

Wyatt ran hard.  He ran well.  He ran to win.  Then he turned around an hour and a half later and ran the 800m to the best of his ability with what he had left in a very respectable 2:33.  I am certain if he hadn’t raced the mile he would have easily contended for the win in the 800.  The winner was around 2:25-26, and fresh, that would have been easily within his reach.  In every way, even though his placement wasn’t as high, I was just as proud of his 800 effort as I was of his mile.  He ran that race as hard as he could.  He surged at 500m to attack the lead pack and started closing on them, but he just couldn’t hang on.  He ran out of gas, but he had not surrendered willingly!  He showed me one final time this season that he is a fighter.  I love that about him.  He totally rocks.