It's hard to believe just how fast 10 weeks can go! But here we are... at the end of our 10 week fall 2012 season of Girls on the Run! And what an amazing season it's been :)
This program is so much fun! I believe I covered all of the basics in this post: Girls on the Run. Looking back and reading how I felt about the program just 2 weeks into the season doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of where I am today.
So where am I? I'm inspired, uplifted, motivated, optimistic... I want to set bigger goals, try harder, be a better person, set a good example... I want to say more, do more, be more... I want everything this life has to offer... and then some :)
I suppose I should backtrack for just a moment and share my thoughts and experiences from the last 8 weeks of the season. I will admit that I found myself a little frustrated at times... maybe more so with myself than with these 11 wonderful young ladies. This was my first attempt at working with girls this age and I'd completely forgotten what it was like to be one of them (20 years has a way of doing that). I had to remind myself that these girls weren't here to 'train'. They didn't join the program to become athletes. They were there to learn a few life lessons, get some exercise and learn about achieving goals. And they were there to have fun. What they hadn't signed up for was teaching an adult a few lessons about living life, enjoying small victories and a whole new level of patience. It would appear they reached their own goals and a whole lot more. By the end of this season I think I finally figured out that I'd had a lot to learn myself... and maybe, just maybe, I'd gotten more out of the season than they did.
So once I learned a few of my own life lessons, I settled into my position as Running Buddy and gave it everything I had.
The practice 5k was a week before the real deal and, after our visit from Hurricane Sandy, the day was dark, cold and rainy. Not ideal weather for a bunch of ten and eleven year olds to run 3.1 miles. But, let me tell you, they were troopers! My job was to try to keep everyone moving and, in the end, I managed to spend a little time with almost everyone on the team. It's been tough for me to figure out what motivates these girls to work hard, but I found that most of them truly did have a desire to do well and, even though it was hard, there was far less walking than there had been at most practices and, when they crossed that finish line, there were some seriously huge smiles. All of the girls who finished early on gathered at the finish line to cheer on the rest of the team and each of them received a certificate for completing a 5k. After 8 weeks of training, they were ready to run their end of the season race.
So yesterday, November 11th, was the season ending 5k at Blossom Music Center. With over 1,000 participants, these girls ran in a race larger than most races I've run. And it was like no other race I've ever seen. Everyone was encouraged to make tiaras (mad props to the dads who participated in this activity), spray paint their hair and, in all ways possible, show their individuality while still being part of a team. It was amazing to see these girls encouraging one another, being positive and having a great time doing it. All of the participants in the GOTR program were given race bibs with the #1 (because we're all #1 no matter how we finish)... everyone else got regularly numbered race bibs. And each team had something special to signify that they were a team (Team Avon Lake had neon green bandannas... every one of which I believe was worn a different way). There were tutus, headbands, streamers, face paint and scarves, so even though every program participant in the Greater Summit region wore a navy blue Girls on the Run race shirt, each team and each runner could stand out in the crowd. I can't wait to see those photos!
As a Running Buddy, it was my job to stick with a few girls for the entire race. Lily and Madison asked if I would run with them and I gladly accepted... it took me back a few years to when kids picked teams... and I can't tell you how honored I was to be first pick for these girls. Talk about personality! They have a way of keeping you entertained for hours!
So at the start of the race, the three of us stuck together... both uphill and down... and kept each other going. Just a little shy of half way, Madison decided that a slightly slower pace would be better for her, so another coach stepped in to run the rest of the race with Lily and I had the pleasure of sticking it out with Madison. Talk about a girl with drive. For someone her age, I would have expected complaints and requests to stop. But not Madison. As many times as I'd seen her walk in practice, she seemed to have brought her A game to this race! This course had rolling hills and, coming from the Cleveland area, we're just not used to anything like it. But Madison continued to impress me with her effort throughout the entire race. As difficult as it was and as much as she admitted that she was struggling with those hills, she powered through every one of them and didn't walk a single step of the entire race. She even had a little something extra saved up for the finish line. Every one of our girls finished the race and gave it everything they had. There were girls that walked parts of the race that refused to walk through the finish line and gave it every last bit of effort they had for a strong finish, where family and friends were cheering them on, there were dads with tears in their eyes as their daughters finished their first race, and there were girls everywhere smiling ear to ear that were so proud of their accomplishments as they posed for pictures with family and friends and celebrated their amazing victory. There were hugs and laughter all around us! It was a race environment like none I'd ever experienced before... and now I simply can't wait to experience it again!
Team Avon Lake: You are an inspiring group of young women and have changed me in ways I never imagined! Here's to you, an amazing season and hopefully more to come!
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| Photo by Girls on the Run of Greater Summit |
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