My Crazy Nephew

So last Saturday was the Top of Utah marathon and 5K. I've been trying to get everyone and anyone to come join me in the local fun. Well... one of my recruits was my 7 year-old nephew AJ. We did some training over the past few weeks, but due to my crazy schedule, I wasn't able to train AJ as much as I would have liked. It really didn't seem to matter, because the kid is a natural!

Right after the gun went off, my friend Kami, AJ, and I took off at a pretty good pace. I'd look over to AJ, and his little legs were just a pumpin'. I was slightly worried, but figured I'd just keep pushing him until he couldn't push hard anymore. After a couple of minutes, I leaned down to him, and told him about a little game we were going to play. I told him when I point to someone that is ahead of us, that is our next target to pass. About 1.5 miles out, I pointed to a kid about 50 yards ahead of us, and asked AJ if he thought he could "take" that kid. He said "yeah" in a surely manner, and the kid became our next victim. As soon as we passed the kid, I noticed he had sped up to try and pass AJ back. AJ, on the other hand was not about to lose his lead. He too picked up his pace so the kid couldn't get by him. He is a true Yeates. I watched as the two of them battled it out for a good quarter of a mile, and then I guess the kid gave up, because he seemed to disappear. I finished at the 26:12 mark, and AJ was only 2 seconds behind me as we sprinted in to the finish line. I took second in my division without even trying, which was awesome, and AJ placed first in the 11 and under division by NINE minutes. I'm still so impressed by the kid.

So AJ seems to have a bit of the running bug, and I don't mind taking a race here and there a little easy to run with him and keep him improving. I've already got us signed up for the Ribbon Run on October 10th in Hyde Park. I'm tailoring a program for him to go for a PR.

My friend Kami Essig also set a PR for the race, and finished 4th in her division. She is also set to run the Inaugural Malibu Half Marathon in November with me. I can't wait for that one. I am hoping for a PR in that race. As of right now, we have 52 more days to train. The TOU 5K was just the motivation I needed to get back on track. Since college soccer started, my body has felt pretty worn down, and it's been hard to stay motivated in my training program, but this week I am 3 for 3, and am gaining momentum. I'M BACK!!!