Girls On The Run Reindeer Romp!

Back in September I decided to volunteer as a coach for a program called Girls On The Run! Myself along with two other gals, Mandie and Anna, coached seventeen 3rd and 4th grade girls in an afterschool "life-changing, non-competitive, non-profit prevention program to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living."

Wow, what an experience! First off, do you have any idea how much ENERGY 3rd and 4th grade girls have?! And, while they thought it was cool that I was in the Navy and "killed people" (their words, definitely not mine!) they had absolute total disregard for my positional authority! It took a whole different set of leadership tools to get through to those girls!

But it was all worth it when Saturday, 12 of the 17 showed up on a cold, drizzly, December morning with their jingle-bell bracelets, running gear, and smiling faces and we took off to run the 5K race.





In the spirit of the "non-competitiveness" I ran a Personal Record slowest time ever of 41:46, as I kept pace with two of the girls, Anna and Kelly. They were both great, and I knew that I had at least succeeded in introducing them to the lifestyle I love so much when Anna said at Mile 1 "Wow, I'm actually having fun running!"

I don't know if my new job will allow me to coach again, but it was definitely a good experience, and I'm very glad I did it!

Race Results
Race Pictures