We (coaches and kids) were in the middle if a card game…
When one of the girls on the team got a phone call from one of the other teammates, saying they were stuck in the elevator… The other coach (Thompson) and I went up to the 5th floor to see what was going on. Sure enough, 3 of our runners were stuck in the elevator and the alarm was going off. The door was open just a crack…
Soon coach Walker (hurdle/sprinter coach who came to help chaperone who is also a firefighter) came up (with Corom).
He knew how to get the door open but needed a special key, or something, to stop the alarm.
The boys swear that they didn’t do anything. And you know… I believe them. These kids are good kids and we have built a good relationship that I know they would/will always tell us the truth. It sure was funny, though…
We stopped at a gas station in Barstow, California (I believe) to fuel up. We had some time to hang out for a minute. Lots of the kids and I were checking out their “fresh” fruit… Very tempting…
We could not stop laughing. I was hoping to get it for 1/2 price. 🙂
We then played a game on the bus called “American iPod”. You have your headphones in and turn the music up as loud as you can and sing away. You can’t hear your own voice so you don’t know how you sound. It is sooo funny and embarrassing. We had about 15 kids do it before we ran out if time. I wish I could put them all up but I chose 2…
They were all pretty funny! We got to our hotel and went on an “adventure” run.
We ran down ramps and through parking garages…
We ran over chains and through the bushes…
Down the dirt trail (behind the building) and through the dumpsters…
We finished off with Christmas caroling to a couple of houses…
We ended up running for 45:14… With many stops in-between. It was a blast! Now the coaches and chaperones are off to dinner.
We dropped our kids off early to a friend’s house so we could catch the bus to California with a bunch of high school cross country runners…
I tried to take a little nap… Didn’t succeed. I did cover my face because a lot of tricks are played on people who fall asleep…
We stopped off in Las Vegas for lunch. Corom was up to his usual pranks (and being around the HS kids brings it out more)… He caught a pigeon…
He then proceeded to carry out the pigeon thing by placing it on the tables (outside tables) where the girls were sitting. I’ve never seen them get up so fast and run. Pretty hilarious… He caught another and put it in a bag…
He told a few different kids to take his extra fries and feed it to the birds before they had to get on the bus. Not the best video but it was funny. Now we are back on the road…
Before cross country practice I watched 4 extra kids and began my packing process for Footlocker in California. For CC practice the kids ran 6 1/2 miles at a easy to moderate pace. It was very pretty this afternoon with the sun out shining on all the snow.
After practice I had scouts at my house and then the girls and I did our Christmas activity (Corom had to work late tonight). We made the Christmas countdown chain.
We were supposed to go over to my friend Amber’s house but the girls were being so naughty. I didn’t want to take away their activity because I wanted to do it… So I told them we had to stay here and do them. I had all four girls crying at the same time. It was music to my ears. I seriously wanted to sit in a corner and rock back and forth. Once the time passed and the girls got over it, we had a good time. I put them to bed at 6:15 (and 3 of the 4 fell asleep within 10 min). 🙂 I, then went to the Clarion Manor (which is now called Clarion Gardens) and helped cater an event.
It was fun going there and helping out! Once I got home… It was back to packing and getting ready for the cross country meet in California (Footlocker). 🙂
I met up with Mac and Beth this morning. It read that it was 15 degrees out. It was cold!!! I went out for 1:10.24. I put in about 8 1/2 or something around that. 🙂 (I don’t run with a Garmin or anything… Just the old school stop watch). I felt great and running in the snow was surprisingly refreshing! I had good grip on my shoes.. I did take off to run a mile hard and did it another time but not quite as long as the 1st time during the middle of our run. I just had a lot of energy this morning and felt like I needed to push it for a little while. I really, really enjoyed the run this morning (maybe because I was a little more prepared for the cold and slight wind).
Now as I am writing this (about 9:30 a.m.), I wish I had the energy I had this morning. I am tired and want a nap. 🙂 I am watching 3 extra kids today so that is not a possibility… 🙂
Mother Racer 