Well, she did it! Of course we all knew she
would, but she was understandably very nervous and worried she
wouldn't. My beloved niece, Lanie, completed her senior project yesterday, which was to run a half-marathon, and it was a great success! She has been training and preparing for this event all school year long, and I think it is something she will always remember and she can certainly look back on this memory with pride. I, myself could not be prouder of her!
The night before the race, we took a series of pictures of her getting ready. Isn't it cool how they have her name on the number sheet? I love it! (And I also love that shirt, which I tried to get her to give to me, but darned if she doesn't like it, too! What's an aunt gonna do?)
We arrived on campus bright and early (the Worry-Wart
- that would be me- woke up at 4:AM, thinking about getting her there on time and in tact) - we were hoping to be able to find parking, and we managed to find the perfect, close spot, which was a huge relief. While we were waiting for my wonderful friend Kristin to get there, we took the opportunity to take pictures and to conduct an interview for the senior project portion of the run.
Below you see her adorable friend Anna, who is also a runner. She managed to navigate us all over town in our quest to find Lanie en route! She is a lovely, lovely girl, and Lanie is blessed to have this wonderful girl in her life. Next year, they will
both be running the race! Lanie couldn't have asked for a more supportive friend, and the 4 B's were thrilled to make her acquaintance.
My beloved friend Kristin was kind enough to act as a mentor for Lanie and took her under her wing for the start of the race. She built up Lanie's confidence, told her the secrets of the race and then showed her where to go for the start. And Kristin herself did a fantastic job, and it was just as much fun to watch her and her "Running Betties" (that what her running group calls themselves) as it was to watch my Lanie-girl. I even saw a few other people I knew running the race, which was super fun. The more people you have to cheer on, the more exciting it is!
Ready to run! This was our last sight of her before she lined up in the crowd and we lost her. We didn't see her again until the end of the race.
My B's got to see the Oregon Duck perform some of his tricks - he was very entertaining while we waited for Lanie to come whizzing by us.
After the race, we stood in the stands at Hayward Field, wondering how we were going to meet up with her. A kind stranger took this fun picture of Lanie's Fan Club. And I will admit it - I cried as she crossed the finish line! And I cried again when we finally found her after the race. And then again as I told my mom about the race on the phone... It is very emotional to feel so much love and pride at the same time!
See what a wonderful friend she has in Anna? Her legs and back were killing her, and so Anna carried Lanie to the pickup. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?! We took the two of them out to our favorite breakfast restaurant afterwards for a delicious feast - there's no place like IHOP! And now both girls are inspired to come back to Eugene for next year's race, and maybe even this 4th of July for the Butte to Butte. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, and we couldn't be prouder of our Lanie. She did it! Oh yes she did!
The night before the race, we took a series of pictures of her getting ready. Isn't it cool how they have her name on the number sheet? I love it! (And I also love that shirt, which I tried to get her to give to me, but darned if she doesn't like it, too! What's an aunt gonna do?)
We arrived on campus bright and early (the Worry-Wart - that would be me- woke up at 4:AM, thinking about getting her there on time and in tact) - we were hoping to be able to find parking, and we managed to find the perfect, close spot, which was a huge relief. While we were waiting for my wonderful friend Kristin to get there, we took the opportunity to take pictures and to conduct an interview for the senior project portion of the run.
Below you see her adorable friend Anna, who is also a runner. She managed to navigate us all over town in our quest to find Lanie en route! She is a lovely, lovely girl, and Lanie is blessed to have this wonderful girl in her life. Next year, they will both be running the race! Lanie couldn't have asked for a more supportive friend, and the 4 B's were thrilled to make her acquaintance.
My beloved friend Kristin was kind enough to act as a mentor for Lanie and took her under her wing for the start of the race. She built up Lanie's confidence, told her the secrets of the race and then showed her where to go for the start. And Kristin herself did a fantastic job, and it was just as much fun to watch her and her "Running Betties" (that what her running group calls themselves) as it was to watch my Lanie-girl. I even saw a few other people I knew running the race, which was super fun. The more people you have to cheer on, the more exciting it is!
Ready to run! This was our last sight of her before she lined up in the crowd and we lost her. We didn't see her again until the end of the race.
My B's got to see the Oregon Duck perform some of his tricks - he was very entertaining while we waited for Lanie to come whizzing by us. 
After the race, we stood in the stands at Hayward Field, wondering how we were going to meet up with her. A kind stranger took this fun picture of Lanie's Fan Club. And I will admit it - I cried as she crossed the finish line! And I cried again when we finally found her after the race. And then again as I told my mom about the race on the phone... It is very emotional to feel so much love and pride at the same time!
See what a wonderful friend she has in Anna? Her legs and back were killing her, and so Anna carried Lanie to the pickup. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?! We took the two of them out to our favorite breakfast restaurant afterwards for a delicious feast - there's no place like IHOP! And now both girls are inspired to come back to Eugene for next year's race, and maybe even this 4th of July for the Butte to Butte. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, and we couldn't be prouder of our Lanie. She did it! Oh yes she did!
