In a typical health class, you probably expect students to get lectures on the importance of exercise and good nutrition, but how are kids supposed to be healthy without putting their knowledge into good use. Well, that’s what the wellness project for eighth graders is about. Students must choose a healthy habit (that they don’t already follow) or a goal that they want to meet, and for four weeks they must follow the plan to meet these goals or make something a habit. I thought that this project would be an awesome learning experience about myself, because I’ve never had a teacher assign a project like this. I chose to improve my running skills and the time on my mile run. My friend, Taren McGray chose to do the same, and we collaborated on many things.

Before we started the actual project, the class had to fill out some papers in the project packet. These included writing about one’s values and the steps we would use to make our goals realities. I can say (as a definite) that staying fit is one of my values. I am passionate about the sports I play, and they also feel comfortable about my physical well-being. I know that if I continue to exercise then I can remain healthy and keep my good self-image. Doing sports for the rest of my life will help me maintain a fit lifestyle. All of my friends participate in sports, and it’s one way we all get to connect. I also think I can influence my siblings to stay active if I don’t quit sports.

However, simply picking a goal and attempting to fulfill it wasn’t all that I was going to need. I received help from my physical education teacher on which weights to use, and tips from both my parents on running. I also participated in two 5k races, both of which I enjoyed immensely. Taren and I also ran together on the cross-country trails, which was a great friend-to-friend experience.

There’s no feeling like knowing that you’ve undergone a transformation for the better, and I’d gradually felt that sensation growing since starting the project. I felt more confident in soccer, running, and over-all athleticism. During the four weeks that the project took place in, I ran approximately 24.55 miles, which includes two 5k races. I also biked 1.2 miles, did my personal best on the mile run in phys. ed., and set the record for the girl’s 8th grade pacer run in physical education at 76, which was way better than my pacer total last year. On the 5ks, which were the only ones that I’ve ever done, I placed second in my category on the first one, and 5th on the second, but I improved my time from 26:28 to 25:18.

My next step will be to continue doing races and improving my time on those, such as the Burn Off the Turkey 5k on November 24 (which my mom wants to do with me.) But, to take it to the next level, I want to get my friends to do some races with me and try some events longer than 5 kilometers. Because dry-land training for cross-country skiing is mostly running on the cross-country trails, I plan to work hard then. I don’t ever want to have to walk during training on the trails like I did last year. It makes me feel like I’m not giving 100%. I ran the mile three

times during this project, and I want to keep improving on it. Now that soccer is over, I don’t have to worry about having enough energy for a game, so I can do the mile more often. However, it’s difficult if running the mile inside the gym is an accurate measurement, because everyone I talked to (and me personally) who ran the mile outside said that their times were much slower than their times inside.

Before this project, running meant sweat, getting tired, and feeling like a loser because I was so slow. During track season last year, I wasn’t that good, so it didn’t boost my liking of running. However, this fall, I have run more than I ever have before. When I now envision taking a run, I think of the refreshing feeling I get afterwards and how gratified I am to see how far I’ve come. I know that from now on running will always be part of my life. I don’t think it’s one of those hobbies that you can just pick up for a while and drop, at least not for me. Next summer, I want to do the Beach To Beacon 10k, and also Wilton Blueberry Festival Run, which is also a I OK. I had planned to do push-ups, crunches, and weight workouts, but I didn’t do much of any of those. I want to keep training for races, so I think that I will start doing more besides runs. The pride and joy that course through my body when I think of how much I can do and the confidence that I have gained are magnificent. To put it simply, this project changed my life.