There’s nothing like a long walk to kick off a new semester at school and shake the holiday off. We jumped at the chance to join Fleet Feet for a four-mile fun run (which we walked) even though it meant an end to our leisurely days sleeping in.
Fleet Feet, our go-to store for running shoes in Sacramento, opened its third store recently, this one in Elk Grove. To celebrate, store employees hosted the fun run, exercise classes, a pancake breakfast, and a raffle – all for free. We met at the store by 7:30 a.m., early by winter break standards. We stretched in the glow of the store lights and headed out to the creek trails under overcast skies. Runners and those walkers who cut their route short ate pancakes under a dark, but dry sky. We walked the entire distance and returned under a drizzle, huddling under a Fleet Feet EZ-Up with our cakes and juice. It was worth it!
And, what does walking have to do with the Common Core standards? Everything.
Research shows aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function, particularly in learning and memory. Studies also indicate walking improves creativity. The Walking Classroom, a national program available for purchase, did its own study in 2018 with researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that showed walking improved learning and student mood. Of course, there’s also the learning that takes place when a person walks through nature, which is what we did on the Elk Grove trails along creeks and wetlands.
Happy 2019!
Runners returning to Fleet Feet Elk Grove after an early morning jog. 
One of the informational signs posted along Elk Grove’s creek trails. 
Fleet Feet Elk Grove’s shoe display seen from the outdoors. 
Walking back over the bridge toward a pancake breakfast. 
The trail took us through mud and up hills. A Fleet Feet coach waits for us on the other side. 
Fun run participants gather outside the Fleet Feet Elk Grove store as the sun rises. 
Walking the trails through the underpass. 
Bicycle wheels left behind along the underpass. 
Runners dot the landscape in the morning hours. 
Resting before more trail. 
A reflection in the wetlands along the trail. 
Taking a break along the trail with a Fleet Feet coach. 
Leaving the underpass. 
The wetlands offer dramatic scenery along the trails.