Go Eddie, Go!

This past weekend, Edward ran in his first Dutch 10K race... the Jagerspalsloop! It was quite fun to find these photos of him running in the Netherlands and to know he's doing what he loves. "Go Eddie, Go" is the phrase used by the Aunties when they see him run by and also is like his favorite childhood book, "Go Dog, Go."

I found these photos of Edward on a Dutch race website that he sent us the link to. He finished 3rd in the race.

Marathon Man X 4

I'm happy to say that John succeeded in running his 4th marathon on Sunday, that's 26.2 miles. He has been training steadily for months and he ran it in 3:49 - not his best time, but still a good show. The girls and I stopped at a point half way through it on our way to church to cheer him on and get these photos and he met us later at the church potluck. Edward was a race marshal at the 4 Mile mark.

Silver Medal

Edward's silver medal for the 25K River Bank Run finally came in the mail so he posed for me because he knows (and accepts) how I am.

Like Father, Like Son

We've been in the process of recovering from a very bad computer virus and I had over 250 photos backed up on my camera and maybe just a few stories to tell leftover in my brain. This past Saturday morning, John ran in his 5th consecutive 25K River Bank Run which goes roughly along the Grand River in ole Grand Rapids. The big excitement this year was that Edward ran in it for the first time and he finished in 1 hour, 42 minutes for the 3rd place medal in his division.   Rain poured down for the first half of the race.

Edward crossing the finish line.

John had an offical time of 2:21.  It's funny to compare to the first post I did on the run 4 years ago when I was still a baby blogger.

John is a BLUR as he crosses the finish line.

So This is What It's Like to be Married to a Gold Medalist

John apparently running into the cops, Holland Rotary 5K, 2008

Yesterday morning, John and I hit the road at 7am to go to Holland, MI so he could run in a 5K there. It was kind of a local yokel affair where you all are standing around and out of the blue, someone says, without any passion, "On your mark, get set, go" like you did on the playground when you were a kid. John ran a good race, not his best time, but definitely respectable. Much to our surprise, he was presented with the 1st place medal for his age group!

Do I have to say the part about how he was the only one in his age group?

I'm still proud to be married to a gold medalist!

Edward Wins the Bronze!

Yesterday morning, John & I went to the Fifth Third Ballpark where Edward was running in the 11th Annual Homerun 5K (raising money to fight child abuse). He received a 3rd place medal in his age group. Instead of "Hey Eddie, it's your birthday...", I did the "Go Eddie Go" cheer which I learned from Sister Mary.

The Never Ending Race

The thing about Edward, and maybe boys in general, is he always loves a good challenge, and all of life is a game for him really. Two years ago, he had climbed up the steep, 450-foot drop dune on the Pierce Stocking Drive of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 9 minutes, 7 seconds - a record begging to be broken. Cousin Brian was up for the dune climb challenge too.



They flew down the hill like they were on the moon. From the overlook, we watched them climb like little ants.

Edward returned quickly - 8 minutes, 31 seconds - and Brian was a few minutes behind. John went too - he was in the 25-30 minute range which is still good considering the average person takes about 45 minutes.

We celebrated with a monster sundae at Cherry Republic where cousin Laura works.

Fun times.

The Starting Line

Byron Bank 5K, 2008

This morning, John & I went to watch Edward run in the Byron Bank 5K. The photos I took came out blurry, probably because he was running by in a blur. Duh. I did get this still life at the starting line. He finished in 18:25 on this muggy morning (24th of about 900.)

Beautiful Boy

This morning, we watched Edward run in the Brian Diemer Amerikam 5K race before we left for the OBX. He finished 71st out of 1400 runners for a pretty strong finish.

Edward's Last Mile

Official time: 4:59.8

Last evening, Edward ran the mile (1600m) for South Christian in the Regional Track Meet downtown at Houseman Field against 15 other schools. His goal was to get under 5 minutes and he had quite a cheering section there when he did it. It was pretty sweet!

I think he's also in serious competition now with the girls for the high drama award. You know how when the crowd cheers in the stadium, kind of a low yay sound? I remember actually going up about an octave when he crossed the finish line.

Running by the River

Yesterday, I got up at O'dark-thirty with John to go down to the annual Fifth Third Riverbank Run to watch him run in the 25K with 16,000 runners. I saw him at the start and again at the finish line and saw many people I knew in between. You can see him too if you look carefully at the white arrows below:



I caught up with the great runner at the end and got him to pose in front of La Grand Vitesse and the giant water bottle.


John, May 2008, after running 25K

The Last Track Season

Hi all! The runner is back on the blog. Yesterday was a perfect day for photography at one of the best looking tracks in the area. This one is my favorite:


That's Edward in the yellow shoes in front...

He came up to John & I in the stands to check his time. He ran a 5:08 in the mile, followed by a PR of 11:24 in the 2 mile so he was pretty happy about that.

Our Stories

Click on this link to watch a 16 minute video which the seniors on the Cross Country team made at our house mostly. Last night, we went to a cross country potluck to celebrate the end of the season. Edward has made many great friends in his 4 years on the team. I remember once when his coach said at the end of the season, if you're sad, then that's good because you know you had a good thing. The thing he said last night that I remember most (and I've heard it before but it's good to be reminded) is that God created people because he loves stories. The cool thing about this video is that it shows a bit of each of their stories and how they came together as a team to create it. It's something I'm sure they will never forget.

The Last Race

John & I have enjoyed watching Edward run for 4 years on the Cross Country team. He has made many great friends in the process and we have also. Yesterday could not have been a more beautiful day for running and I felt like all the cross country people we loved were there. Edward ran his lifetime personal record of 18:26. When it was over, I asked him if he was sad, and in typical Edward style, he said, "Uh, yeah, I guess." He knows that the most important race isn't over yet, and in that regard, cross country has been the best training for the life ahead of him.

Flash Back Friday 39

Edward, October 2004, Freshman Year Cross Country

Running for the Prize

John & I went yesterday to watch Edward run in his last XC meet at Johnson Park where his school usually has their home meets. This was the last time I'll see him run across this field in a race. The start of the late fall colors added to the beauty of the moment. Ed ran fast enough this season to get a varsity letter, but not fast enough to be in the top 7 who actually run varsity, so he ran in the reserve race at the Conference meet.


I savored watching them - and him - run by!


And run by again. And then, when I saw him run by again, I did so without a camera in front of my face.


The South Christian reserve team had 7 runners in the top 10 and came home with the trophy for 1st place.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. I Corinthians 9:24

Running Dutch

John ran in the Groningen Marathon this past Sunday - actually, he did the half marathon. With the time change and travel, this was still a good accomplishment. Watching a marathon in an old European city was a great and new experience. The announcers spoke totally in Dutch so I didn't know everything going on. The rest of the gang came down later and met us at the finish line and we all took the train back to Bedum. He was the first American to finish in the race.

Hot Cross Buns

Yesterday, we went to a cross-country race in 100 degree weather. It was hot enough to spectate, and hotter yet for the runners. I still took some pictures.

Mud

Edward, Pioneer Classic, 2007

This morning, I left work for awhile to watch Edward's first official XC race of the year with my trusty camera in hand. I was so excited after he ran by and I turned fully clothed in workwear to run to the one mile marker. I slipped and fell in the mud in front of what felt like thousands of parents! My work clothes and camera were covered with mud, but of course I carried on like I was normal. "Oh really, it was nothing"

I think that's why this model falling on the runway makes me laugh every time I see it. I relate to each little stumble. Been there, done that! Got the t-shirt!

Early This Morning, Running Through a Dewy Meadow

John & I headed up to Cedar Springs this morning for a Cross Country scrimmage to see Edward run. The team has been at training camp this past week and they looked good. It's hard to believe their first real race is this week and school starts next Monday. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

The Agony and the Ecstasy

Much to her surprise, Bridget was asked to run the Mile (or 1600M) in the Conference Meet today. She ended up having to borrow these huge shorts from a friend since she didn't have hers at school.



The bright blue shirts in the picture look refreshingly cool, but I will tell you this - it was almost 90 degrees and so muggy you would cut the air if you ran with scissors. Think of August heat and double it. Bridget was in such agony after the race that John offered to get her a Slushy. Then we started to talk about running again in the Fall.


Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Riverbank Running

This day in GR could not have been more beautiful. Cool, sunny days are the best. Our whole family headed downtown at 6:55 am for the Fifth Third Riverbank Run where about 14,000 runners participated in the 30th annual event. It takes almost 10 minutes for the runners just to cross the starting line - it is a fantastic sight! John ran in the 25K and Edward in the 5K. John ran for "Partners Worldwide which is an organization my brother-in-law Paul works with to help build businesses in 3rd world countries. I was their photographer and my main task was to take pictures of all their runners wearing these blue shirts, and also the 2 Kenyan runners who were not wearing the shirts because they were under contract with Nike.



John is excited about something before the race.


Edward came in 44th place out of about 5000 runners in the 5K! It helps that he is well-conditioned for track season.


I stood at the finish line waiting for my runners to come in and the couple next to me was talking about someone from Kenya. It was Dr. Primus who is a retired professor from Calvin and his wife. They knew the Kenyans from teaching there for a semester, so they helped me look for them since I had not met them. When I saw Edward headed for the finish line, I said casually, there's my son, he always throws up. Sure enough... :)


Luke Kibet finishing in 1:21. John finishing at 2:13.

Running the Race

I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but here they are running again. These are probably my favorite verses, and I think I can relate to the pained look on their faces.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:2-3


Edward in the 3200 meter race yesterday (in the middle with yellow shoes)


Bridget at track practice yesterday

Aches & Pains

I guess Spring brings more than just blossoms and new life. Edward & Bridget started track season a couple of weeks ago. Edward runs all year around, so he never complains; Bridget, however, after running in about 1000 degree temperatures yesterday was almost ready to quit. I had a small taste of this last night when John & I decided to go on a 4 mile walk to the library & back which was in addition to my usual 2 mile walk. It had cooled off to about 800 degrees, but nevertheless, I came home feeling not only achy but benout, too. Don't worry, I'll survive.

I discovered Bridget's water bottle in the freezer in true-Bridgie-style.