Jog-A-Thon

The boys participated in the school jog-a-thon the other day. It is the one big fundraiser the school does each year. To me, I think this is a great idea so we don't feel bombarded with fundraisers throughout the year to buy overpriced candies and cookies and other random things we don't really have the need for.

The day of the jog-a-thon I was able to take some time off work and volunteer to help setup, count laps, and cheer the kids on. Even though my feet got soaked and it was cold, I had a blast and I think most of the kids had fun too, except most of the sixth graders. I think overall they were the least enthusiastic group I saw. ;-)

My boys seem to be natural runners. They are not the fastest runners in their grades, but they certainly have the stamina and willpower to do great. Throughout the day the size of the course changed a little (depending on the grade running), but Jordan ran 17 laps and Colin ran 16 laps (on a slightly smaller course). I was so proud of them because they jogged/ran for almost the entire 20 minutes allotted. They each only stopped once to get a small drink of water and they had fun. In terms of laps run, I think Jordan was 2nd or 3rd among his classmates of 2nd and 3rd graders. I think Colin was 1st in his class. There was one boy that started off faster then Colin, but after 2 or 3 laps he lost all his energy and his mom pulled him around for the remaining time. The funny thing is once the kindergarteners were done running, we put the last lap mark on the papers on their backs as they finished their last lap and then took the papers off their backs. Next thing I realized, Colin was finishing another lap. I told him they were done running and he said, he didn't want to be done. He said, "I am not even tired." That boy had just run for 20 minutes straight and he claimed he wasn't tired. The crazy thing is that he didn't even look that tired. He was a little sweaty though.

I loved watching my kids do well in the jog-a-thon. In my eyes they are the stars. They did so great and I am proud of them. They didn't complain and they just kept on going. It makes me want to get out there and run so we can all run together as a family. However, I have never enjoyed running. It has always been difficult for me, but I want to do it for them. Or maybe, I will let them run with their dad. He enjoys running and is good at it. I think they can all help each other become better. I look forward to watching my boys run more in the future. (Oh and did I mention they were so well behaved that night after expending so much energy.)