The Finish Line!

More racing pics were posted. Here are the shots of each of us crossing the finish line! Click to see larger image.

Actual Race Pictures

Here are some pictures that they took of us during the race. We almost got everyone in pictures!

WE DID IT!

Today was a fabulous day! We started off early! We left our school at 7:15 am. That shows dedication right there! On a Saturday morning, 11 kids got up before 7am and came ready to run! We headed over to San Leandro and arrived around 7:45. We got out our racing bibs (numbers) and put on our timer tags. After that was done, we did our potty breaks and it was race time!

I posted my kid's times below. They are the ones in orange. I'm so proud of them. Also enjoy pics of their day!

Almost Ready!

Well in 2 more days, we will be running our first 5k! I'm really excited for myself because I want to beat my last time, and I'm really excited about the kids getting to experience the rush of a 5k! The kids have been working hard and building up stamina. Most of the kids had reached 11-14 laps around the park. That is equivalent to 2.75 - 3.2 miles! That's in 35 minutes. That is fantastic.

Today I picked up their shirts for the race, their racing bibs (has their numbers), and their goodie bags. Did I say already that I'm excited?! I will be updating you all to let you know how the race went!!!

YAY!

Goal Setting

For the first few practices, I have let the kids just run to get the hang of it. I decided to change things up now. It was time to build up their stamina and to have them practice setting goals for themselves. In my classroom at lunch time, I had them come in. I made a map of the park we practice at. I asked them each to show me where they normally walked and ran. After that, we came up with realistic goals for where they are physically. Then at practice after school, they had to execute. 

During the practice, I heard a lot of things from my students. I heard, "Mrs. Perry, this is going great!"  I heard many students say, "I've been counting my laps. I have done 13 so far!" The goal setting was a great idea. I told them next week we will increase their "running zones" for each of them.  I am really proud of their progress and cannot wait until the race!

Kid's Point of View

You've heard a lot about my experience with running with my kids. I'd like you to have the opportunity to hear from my kids and what their experience has been like so far. So here it goes!

"I'm running in a 5k race with my teachers and with some of my fellow classmates. This is a very fun experience because it includes many adventures. The first time we practiced was very cool because we got to run together. The second day of practice was amazing because we ran in the rain. The rain gave us energy to run more than usual. By the time our practice ended, we were all really wet. On our third practice, seventh graders came and ran with us. We were all so sweaty. It was cool. I'm looking forward to practicing more so that I lose calories and get healthy." -Lizbeth

"I feel great when I'm running and doing exercise. I really like doing this experiment. The stretches we do really help me because the next day I don't feel sore. I feel very good and it's really fun. It's really fun because we also get to hang out with our friends. I feel really good and more healthy doing this. I thank Mrs. Perry and Ms. Asplund for this opportunity." - Emily

"One of my favorite things to do is run. Right now I'm practicing for a 3 mile race. I've been practicing with two teachers and some of my classmates. When I run I feel free and it's so nice feeling the wind while I run. Before I run, I do some stretches and after I run I do some more. The day after I run I feel energetic, in other words I feel great. I love to run because it's an active thing to do and it helps your body a lot. That's why it's one of my favorite things to do." -Cristy

It's a Richmond and Family Affair

Running with my kids has been awesome. If you read my first post on here, you will notice that the whole purpose in getting students to do a 5k with me was to improve health and to learn lessons on achieving goals. This has turned out to be so much more.

Each day we go to the neighborhood park to practice, there are always a few people out. There are parents and grandparents with their kids or people sitting outside of their houses seeing us walk by. They are starting to recognize our group that walks to the park from our school during the week. This past week, an older African American gentleman, who was there at the park with his grandchild, came up to be. He said, "I just want you to know that what you are doing with these kids is great. It's a good thing. Please keep doing it."  I didn't realize we were being watched. It felt so good to hear that. In a neighborhood where there is a lot of negativity, this bit of positivity was noticed. 

It was also great today to show up for today's workout and to see one of my students there with his family. His younger siblings were playing in the sand and parents, uncles, and cousins were there. While we were warming up, the boy's uncle asked if he could join in on our stretches. **of course!** Once we got started running, his other uncle joined in with us. His sister started running too! 

Also this first 5k experience, I only extended to my students. Well other students from our school have been showing up at the park. Even though they are not competing, they are showing up to run. We had one boy show up today and he ran the entire time. During the weekday practices, we typically have 2-3 extra kids show up and run. Kids from other classes also have asked about joining.

I think this running thing is going to have a bigger impact down the line. Word is getting out at school and kids are talking about it. Something is brewing in my thoughts, but I'll save it for now and share it another time. All I know right now that us running is good for our neighborhood and our families. Who thought running could make such an impact?