Journal Entry For September 7 - September 10, 2005

Missoula, Montana Weather Conditions: Around 80 degrees and sunny (some valley smoke from nearby forest fires)

4th Grade Distance Completed This Week: 26 miles (One P.E. session this week! The short week was due to Labor Day)

4th Graders' Location and Total Distance: 26 miles from Cannon Beach, OR on Highway 26. [Trek Total: 26 miles]

5th Grade Distance Completed This Week: 32 miles (One P.E. session this week! The short week was due to Labor Day)

5th Graders' Location and Total Distance: 32 miles from Cannon Beach, OR on Highway 26. [Trek Total: 32 miles]

Quote To Think About: "Run hard, be strong, think big! Once you've tried and done your best, you can look back and feel satisfied." (Quote by Percy Cerutty - Running coach of the 1960 Olympic 1500 meter champion, Herb Elliot)

This journal entry was written September 10. The 4th grade students began their journey on Wednesday, September 7, and the 5th grade students began on Thursday, September 8th. Mrs. Staso introduced her husband to each of the classes and he provided various details and guidelines for the virtual trek across America. Questions were answered and some students were surprised to see that the trek had a web site.

Mr. and Mrs. Staso took each class outside to virtually begin their run from Cannon Beach, Oregon on the edge of the ocean. Since there are two 4th grade classes and two 5th grade classes, there were a total of 4 separate run/walk sessions. Each session lasted approximately 12 minutes. All combined, the 54 fourth graders accumulated 26 miles and the 40 fifth graders acquired 32 miles. The walkers/runners ended their week on Highway 26 heading east toward Portland, OR.

The popularity of the SeeUsRun.com web site is growing rapidly! For instance, on the first day of our trek we had visitors to our site from all over the United States. On the chart to the right you'll see a listing of locations for some of our web site visitors. This list is a snapshot of a 5 hour period of time from our web site visitor log for September 7. As you can see, the Run/Walk Across America is being watched by teachers, students, coaches, and others from around the United States. We even had a visitor from New Zealand! Currently, the web site is getting about 75 visitors per day.

We truly appreciate the schools, organizations, companies, and others who are linking our site to theirs! Also, we appreciate Runner's World magazine's online web site for children (kidsrunning.com) posting information about our trek on their homepage and including an article about the Run/Walk Across America. We are also grateful to Mr. Russ Fletcher, founder of the Montana Associated Technology Roundtables (MATR), for posting an article on the MATR web site in the education section.

You can access either of those articles here!

The trek is underway and in about 75 miles we'll be entering Washington state!

WOW! Today is your big day! Think big... Go strong... I'm here in Oregon cheering you on!

Heidi Lindner
5th Grade Teacher
Beaver Acres Elementary
Beaverton, Oregon
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Dear Boys and Girls,
Good luck on your Trek. 3,200 miles is a long way to go, but you can do it. Please make sure to stay healthy along the way. Eat lots of nutritious food and get a good night's rest, each night. Pace yourself and encourage your peers. I hope that you meet your goal - I would love to see Paul complete his trek next year! I will check your site often to find out how you are doing. I'll also let my 100 Happy Feet club kids know about your trek. It will inspire them to keep running. Expect some letters from my club sometime in October or November. WOW! What a great project you have!

Carol Goodrow
2nd Grade Teacher: Birch Grove Primary School
Tolland, Connecticut
Editor: kidsrunning.com
Author: Happy Feet; Healthy Food; Your Child's First Journal of Exercise and Healthy Eating; and, The Treasure of Health and Happiness (coming April 2006)
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Alright, you're already a quarter of the way to my house! Just two weeks ago they had the Hood-to-Coast Run. Teams run in relay fashion from Mt. Hood to Seaside each running 4-6 miles at a time. Maybe one day some of you can come out and be part of this Run. Good Luck and wave on your way through.

Jennifer Pursell
Jr. High PE Teacher
Binnsmead Middle School
Portland, Oregon
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What a great idea! I went to college in Missoula and I teach now in Oregon. I'll be following your progress, and sharing it with my kids. Have fun!

Kathy Baxter
4th/5th Grade Teacher
Elmonica Elementary
Beaverton, Oregon
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You guys are all awesome and I know that you'll reach your goals!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!!!
RUN RUSSELL RUN!!!

Stacey Rossmiller
Parent of a Russell Elementary 5th Grade Student
Missoula, Montana
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Russell kids ROCK!! I know you guys will do this and make Mr. Staso run, run, run!!!

Diana Sontag
Parent of a Russell Elementary 5th Grade Student
Missoula, Montana
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What a fantastic idea. I wish I were still in grade school so I could be a part of the fun adventure you are all going to have. Have Fun!!

Arletha Swan
Missoula, Montana
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Wow, way to go guys and girls. Our Physical Education department is doing kinda the same thing about running across America, but not this detailed. We are using Toe Tokens to track our miles and putting the classes into teams of 2 or 3. I look forward to seeing your progress. Keep up the great work. Way to go!!!

Robin McMullen
K-2 P.E. Teacher
Suwannee Primary School
Live Oak, Florida
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Hope everything is going well. Keep up the good work. Remember to always keep moving. Have a great day and lots of great weather for walking/running.

Karen Demonakos
Moundsview, Minnesota
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Great example of an innovative solution. Congratulations to all involved. "The State with the Best Education (and fittest students) Wins!"

Russ Fletcher
Founder, Montana Associated Technology Roundtables
Missoula, Montana
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Hi everyone!   I wanted to send my 'written' encouragement... even though you will be hearing from me each day!  I'm excited to persevere through the whole school year with you and to see you complete this goal!  It is set-up so you will have to struggle through some difficult things – for each of you that will be different!  My goal for you, besides finishing the trek as a team, is for each of you to learn something unique about yourself and to become stronger doing it!  Remember that this kind of opportunity gives you lessons to learn for life!  So never give up and never give in and keep your eye on the finish line!  Love you guys!

Vicki Staso, Co-Organizer
Run/Walk Across America 2005-2006
P.E. Teacher - Russell Elementary School
Missoula, Montana
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I am truly excited to see each of you step out toward greater fitness through this virtual Run/Walk Across America. All of you - whether walkers, runners, or both - are a great example to others and an inspiration to me. I look forward to watching your progress this school year and am pleased to be involved in the organization of this wonderful trek. Remember, if either class succeeds then you will achieve a great goal as a team, and will have a personal satisfaction for your contribution in that. Also, you'll be successful in sending me out onto America's roadways in 2006 for an actual trek across America! Based on the effort I saw all of you give this week, I had better get in pretty good shape! Go For It!

Paul Staso, Co-Organizer
Run/Walk Across America 2005-2006
Web Developer & Internet Marketing Specialist - OnTrack Designs
Missoula, Montana

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The Following Web Sites May Be Of Interest To You:

KidsHealth.org | PaceRun.com | PElinks4u.org