Life on the RUN!

Whitley doign thee "Jamaica Jog"

The same three "Peas in a Pod"

1/2 of the 5th grade class

All the girls in 5th grade~~~

Friday morning we awoke early to a light dusting of snow over the grass. Overhead, the skies were an ominous grey and the clouds were swollen with precipitation. Still, we loaded the cooler with water bottles, sub-sandwiches and picnic materials and headed off to the fields.

I was in charge of the "distance" station. My job was to teach the kids where to run, how many times around, and explain to them how to pace their bodies, breathing techniques, and timing them with a stop watch. Although a slight dread came from some of the students, they were thankful to run off the chill of the early morning when they completed their run.

Since there were many events set up in and around the field, I ran ahead of the younger kids so they would know exactly where to go. 6th grade on up, ran a whole mile...they were on their own. All in all, I got about three miles in that day....and I now declare that my running season is back in commission! (I will admit I was a little sore the following day).

Whitley had a great time and took 2 firsts, 1 second and 1 fourth place. Like her Mom, she is a distance runner and found that she did not do as well on the short distances. It was great watching the kids learn about their body's rhythms and strengths!

At noon, the sun began to burn off the morning fog and dry off the field. Meanwhile, the kids ate their lunches while the 8th grade played a game of kickball against the teachers. I lost count of how many times the 8th graders scored on the teachers. Still, it was a fun game to watch!

After a day of exercise and fun, Whit and I hurried home to pack up and head to the convention in Colorado Springs. Even though Field Day 2008 was over, our family was still "on the run"!