Maddie Payne
4th grade, Woodland Elementary

Entry 1
This week in Girls On The Run we learned ways to express our feelings. Some healthy ways to express them are screaming in your pillow or taking a deep breath to calm down. Today I got angry at my brother and stuck my foot out and tripped him. I got in trouble and was sent to my room. I was so mad! In my room, I took a big deep breath, and got calmed down. Then I felt a little better. I try to practice the things we learn each week but it is difficult to always do them, especially when I am angry.

I think my teammates are learning a lot from Girls on the Run. I asked Adrianna what she thought about GOTR. She said, "I am learning a lot and I'm trying to practice the things we've learned. On Friday, I got very nervous because of a test, and I needed to calm down. I took a couple of deep breaths and then I started to get a bit calmer, and it was easier to concentrate."

As far as running, I feel I am always improving. My ankles have been sore ever since Christmas. Coach Sally helped me find a stretch for my ankles and it works! I think my whole team is doing better with running because of all the practice we get, and how hard we are trying. Annie is getting faster with her pace and is doing great and this is her 1st year. I am having a great time and I hope Girls On The Run will continue to keep me running, learning, and having fun!

Entry 2
This week in GOTR, we talked about being thankful for all we have. I don't always think about being thankful for things like having a nice bed to sleep in or just being able to run if I want to. The coaches encouraged me to pay attention to the little things that are done for me every day because these count as much as the big ones.

In GOTR we had a race where you would run and write something you were thankful for using the letters of the alphabet. Each time you had to pick a different word and write it next to the letter it started with. For example, I am thankful for my family, so I put that under F. I had a great time running and thinking of different words with my friends. It was a lot of fun! Later in GOTR, we ran in the gym for about 25 minutes and I got a good bit of exercise. I think exercise is an important way to stay healthy. I think it is also important to have fun while exercising and GOTR is always a way to run and have fun!

Entry 3
This week in GOTR we learned about drugs, what they can do to you, and how to stay away from them. We talked about good ways to get people to stop doing them. We learned, "Ask them nicely, and not in a mean way, because they are not bad people. They just made a bad choice."  I try to get everyone I know to stop smoking and drinking, such as my grandfather, but he is really addicted to smoking.  I've heard that smoking is harmful for your pets, other humans, and you. Scientists say that it increases the risk of lung cancer by 60% for your pets if they are in smoking households.  My grandfather has 2 dogs and, in my opinion it is not fair for him to smoke around them.

We also learned about opinions.  We learned that each of us has a different opinion about different subjects.  In GOTR, we played a game where we would have the coach call out an opinion, and we would answer yes, I agree, or no, I disagree.  Many times I chose no.  I feel Iike I am always fine with other people's opinions, although I may disagree.

My running experience was great! I found that I wanted to keep running even after GOTR was over. I feel very confident about running and I want to keep it up. I try to be encouraging to my teamates because I always like it when they cheer me on. I love GOTR!

Entry 4
This week in GOTR, we talked about being a good listener. What we did as an example was to get two people to stand up. One girl would talk while the other girl would listen. They would show how to either be a good listener or a bad listener. What you do to show good listening skills is to use eyecontact, show emotion, and not talk until they're finished speaking. When they're done, you could ask questions. I need to practice using these skills. It is difficult to stay quiet until they're finished speaking.

We also had a scavenger hunt. My partner was Molly. She was a lot of fun and someone who I don't get to spend much time with during school. We went and had to find something blue, something useless, something pretty, and something prickly. Molly and I found all of these things. We had a lot of fun! Running is awesome!!!

Entry 5
We talked about cooperation and bullying. We were told that working together is the best thing to do. During our session, we were split into 2 groups. Our coach asked 1 person in each group not to cooperate in the activity that we were about to do. It was passing a toy using our elbows from one person to the next. The rest of the team didn't know that one girl from each group wasn't supposed to cooperate. It was frustrating! In the end the coach told us, and then we understood why the 2 people were not acting right.

We learned that there are many types of physical and verbal bullying such as: hitting, punching, pushing, name calling, teasing, and mocking. I am not a bullier, but I have noticed that it has happened every year since I started school. Maybe if we stand up together against bullying, we could stop it from happening as much.

My running is going great! Last GOTR session, my friends Sadie and Adrianna really pushed themselves. Adrianna went farther then she has ever gone! WOW!!!!

Entry 6
This week in GOTR we learned about making good choices. I try to make the right choices though I admit it can be hard. I learned that it is better to do the right thing than the wrong even if you have to sacrifice because in reality you don't always get what you want.

This week was the week of the practice run, but I could not go because I had to go to my brother's birthday party. I know my teammates did great!

I have been helping my friend/teammate, Adrianna, with running. At first she said she was not a runner, and she could not do a certain amount of laps. In the end she completed more laps than her goal! WOW!

Entry 7
This week in GOTR we learned about communities. We learned that communities work together and help each other. There are many types of communities such as GOTR, schools, neighborhoods, and even your family.

In GOTR, we are doing a community project. Ours is to spend an hour of our time to help teachers do anything that needs to be done after school. My GOTR group is excited about this project and can't wait to do it!

My running is going great and I can't wait for the race at Bristol Motor Speedway! I know I can do it and so can all the girls in GOTR!