13 | April | 2012 | Mama Cormier

Over the long weekend I went out walking everyday with my husband and our dog. We would be out for at least 45 minutes each morning. Sometimes I would take the dog out for a second walk later in the day. On the first day back to school I woke up extra early (5:50) so that I could join my husband and our dog for an early morning walk. It was still dark when I woke up and the sun was just coming up and the moon was still in the sky when we headed out the door. It felt great but later in the day I kept yawning and I still had to do Girls on the Run.

The next day my husband let me sleep and I didn’t get up early enough to go for a walk. That evening a group of us from school went downtown for a clothing sale and then dinner. It was dark when I got home. I didn’t get out for my walk. I have to get to bed earlier.

Thursday I slept in again. We did have Girls on the Run after school but most of the activities didn’t allow me to run with the girls. I did make a pledge to the group that I would walk at least 20 minutes every day. When I got home I did take the dog for a 20 minute walk before dinner. I think I will invest again in a pedometer and aim for 10 000 steps a day. Can anyone recommend a pedometer that won’t break everytime it falls to the floor or one that will stay securely attached to my pants? I’ve broken more pedometers……..!!!

I haven’t got up early since Tuesday to do my walk. Friday was the worst day yet. The dog didn’t want to go any further than the park at the bottom of our street. Oh well, Saturday is a new day.

Day 1 – The day was bitter cold. We started outside but after handing out the girls’ t-shirts we quickly went inside for the introductions and getting to know you activities. The girls really enjoyed the activities. Now I should explain at this moment in time that I had some difficulty understanding the directions for the warm-up activities. At our training session we were assured that we could simply take the instructions from the equipment box and simply follow the very detailed directions for each step of the way. Coach P had a better handle on what needed to be done and she led the girls in the warm-up back outside in the nasty cold weather. In the last 20 minutes we all headed out for our walk/run around the school property. All in all it was a pretty good start to the program. I’d better read the instructions a couple of times before day 2.

Day 2 – A much nicer day. I did read the instructions ahead of time but I’ve discovered that I interpret the instructions differently than my assistant, Coach P. The warm-up activities and the run were a lot of fun today. There were 10 stages to the run. Three pylons were set up around the course with directions for 10 different activities between runs. The girls ran for 2 minutes and when the whistle was blown they headed toward or back to the nearest pylon. When all the girls arrived at the pylon they could follow the directions and as soon as they completed it they would start running again. At the end of the run each girl was given an empty choker and a star bead because they were all “stars” today. After each run the girls will be given beads to celebrate how far they run each day.