A few weeks back, my 11 year old daughter came home with a form requesting us to sign and acknowledge that she can join the Girls on The Run. At first I was surprised when I read that 4th and 5th grade girls are going to attempt a 5K run. I do not recall attempting a 5K run till I was perhaps 24 years of age. I suppose I cannot think that the same model applies for younger generation growing up the fitness oriented pacific northwest. We signed off and agreed. And today, she completed here first 5K run in the park along with 800 other runners. Congrats!!
Every week, my daughter and a group of about 10 girls practiced running twice a week. There were two enthusiastic teachers at her school – Medina Elementary School – who coached and engaged these girls. Being part of a team is always an opportunity to belong and learn. Twice a week the girls went out for the practices after school. Twice a week, during the practice sessions the girls learnt to do stretches first and then go for the run. Gradually they improved on their running posture, speed, and ability. There was a practice run 3 weeks back. And today was the final run.
As part of the program, they also recommend having a buddy to run with the girl. The buddy may be a family member or a friend. My wife signed up. And she did both the practice run and final run. It was a joy to see them prepare and go do the run today. I am proud of their work. They had fun doing it together. They also joined some 800 others locally and what it seems is thousands of other folks across the country every year who do these runs. I thank the teacher-coaches at Medina Elementary and the organizers at the Girls on The Run for making this happen.
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