Another Season of GOTR

This week marks the half-way point of the Fall Season of Girls on the Run. I can't believe it's gone by so fast! It feels like just last week we were going through coach training. This is my fifth time as a Head Coach in Carmel Valley and my second time coaching the middle school girls in the Girls on Track. program (In my first three seasons I coached the elementary school girls in Girls on the Run.)

Go Girls on Track!

This season we have a team of 10 girls for Girls on Track, and we're one of three teams in Carmel Valley. Its amazing to me to see how the program has exploded in the past two years! In my first season coaching I was with one of 6 teams, and this season we've grown to 20 teams! Its so amazing.  I joined the board about a year and a half ago and head up the Marketing team, and I love getting to be involved both as a coach and also as a board member.

Coach Training

Practicing the Games at Coach Training

The Girls on Track curriculum is fairly similar to the Girls on the Run curriculum - we cover the basics of understanding our emotions, expressing ourselves, working as a team, learning how to stand up to bullies, understanding that gossiping is bad, etc. We also touch on some more 'grown-up' topics though which are really critical to pre-teen girls in this day and age. We have a lesson on cyberbullying, another on drugs, and another on crushes and the pressures to be sexually active. Eek! As I look at the faces of these sweet little girls its mind-blowing to think that these are situations that are appropriate for kids their age .... but sadly they really are!

Girls on Track Showing Why They're Girls on the Run

I love coaching Girls on the Run not just for the girls, but for the friendships I've made with a lot of the coaches as well. Almost all of the coaches are runners so we instantly have something in common. Sharing stories of races we've run, toenails we've lost, routes we've run - its all a part of being a coach, and I love it! (Well, I hate sharing lost toenail stories ... but its all a part of marathon training.)

Carmel Valley Coaches - We're Strong!

Paddleboarding With Coaches Past & Present

Our season will wrap up mid-December and our season end 5K is slotted for Sunday December 11th downtown at the Embarcadero. This will be the third time that Girls on the Run San Diego is putting on its own 5K, and it has been bigger and better each time! Our Sparkle & Shine 5K (cool name huh? we must have some hip marketing people! haha) drew about 500 runners last time, and I think we should be up to 800 in this next race. Exciting!

Spring Girls on Track Team - They ROCK

Want to come run with us? Registration is open online through Active. (Click here for registration info.) Or if you want to volunteer for one day to run with one of our girls, you can be a Running Buddy!

Video About Running Buddies

If you haven't heard me blather on  enough about the organization and want to learn more about it, you can find more info here.

Girls on the Run San Diego Leadership Team

And lastly, if you are interested in joining the 10-person Glam Runner team for the 5K ($50 gets you entry to the race and a custom tutu of your choice! Tutu options found here.) shoot us an email at glamrunner at gmail.

Girls on the Run Knows How to Have Fun

Sparkle fingers!

GOTR Sparkle & Shine 5K

This past weekend marked the end of the Spring 2011 season of Girls on the Run in San Diego. This was my fourth time serving as a Head Coach at Carmel Valley, with my first three seasons coaching for Girls on the Run (elementary school age) and this past season coaching for Girls on Track (middle school age).  The 12-week GOTR program leads the girls through a series of lessons where they learned “All About Me”, “All About My Team”, and “All About My Community”. Throughout the season they played different active games and went  through a variety of exercises, all while running more and more each week until they reached the day when we had a Practice 5K. At this season’s Practice 5K I was amazed to see that every single one of the girls ran *at least* 3 miles! Some ran a little bit more. I know these girls would be in great shape for our season end 5K and was really looking forward to this day.

Carmel Valley Girls on Track ROCKS

Season End Celebration

During our last session together before the 5K, we always have a season end party that includes craft time, awards, and treats! Throughout the season each girl gets one bead for every lap (1/4 mile) that she runs. At the end of the season she gets the beads back to make a necklace, keychain, bracelet, etc.  In total the nine girls in my group ran 1000 laps equaling 250 miles! (Weird how it came out to exactly 1000.)

Craft Time at the Season End Party

The girls also receive “Molly Awards” named after Molly Barker, the founder of Girls on the Run. This season’s Molly Awards were: Funny Firecracker, Athletic Superstar, Super Sweetheart, Smiles for Miles, Mega Miler, Future Marathoner, Ready to Run, Shining Spirit, and Ray of Sunshine.

Girls on Track Molly Awards

Running For a Reason

Side Story – A few months ago I decided to sign up to be a GOTR Solemate while I trained for the San Francisco Marathon. Solemates is the charity leg of Girls on the Run, and fundraising from Solemates goes directly back into the program helping it grow and reach more girls. I had raised money for Solemates last year while training for the Rock N Roll Marathon, and prior to that David and I had raised money for Back On My Feet while training for the Marine Corps Marathon. A couple years prior to this I also raised money for the American Cancer Society while training for the Chicago Marathon. Do you see where this is going? I’ve asked my friends and family for donations several times by now, and felt bad going back and asking for money again. 

GOTR Solemates Goodies

Glam Runner

I noticed that some other friends who had raised money repeatedly for Team in Training did so by selling things and holding fundraisers. I was talking to my friend/fellow coach & Solemate Tara about this and we agreed we needed to sell something. But what? After kicking around  few ideas, Glam Runner was born! We’d sell tutus!  A week or so after deciding this our first order came in, 12 pink tutus for the GOTR Ragnar Relay team. We were in business! (More on the GOTR Ragnar Team on my blog: Girls on the Ragnar Run.)

Glam Runners Tara & Monika

Glam-Bonanza

Back to the race – Tara and I decided that we’d sell tutus  at the race. We sent out an order form to fellow coaches and the parents of our girls to get preorders, and also worked on an inventory of tutus to sell at our table. Since we were both pretty busy race morning tending to our coaching duties, the wonderful men in our life agreed to man the tutu tables. It takes a real man to sell tutus! (Or to wear one for that matter! We had three Glam Men at this race!) We weren’t really sure if we’d sell all of the tutus we had brought, and were amazed that not only did we sell out, but people were buying sizes that didn’t even fit them just to have a tutu!

Ben & David Prepare the Glam Runner Table

Line Forming at the Glam Runner Table

Running Buddies

There were nine girls in my group this season and we were just 1 of 15 teams across San Diego County, with a total of 180 girls completing this program. At the 5K each girl is paired up with a Running Buddy who can either be a parent, a coach, or a volunteer from the community. (For more information on becoming a Running Buddy click here.)

Niki & Her Running Buddy Mary

Girls on Track & Moms

Ready, Set, Run!

The morning seemed to whiz by and soon it was time for the race. The girls had  stretched, warmed up, and were ready to go!  The race was at Embarcadero South (located behind the San Diego Convention Center) and was an out and back course. 

Running Lead in a Glam Runner Tutu

 

GOTR Coaches Show Their Spirit

I maintained my usual position of course cheerleader and was armed with signs, cowbells, and my seasoned cheerleading scream.  :o) David was lucky enough to get to hold one of my two signs and cowbells himself, and did a great job cheering the girls on too! (While trying not to go deaf from listening to me scream for 45 minutes.)

Former Coach Heather Served as MC

As the girls ran by we waved our signs, rang our cowbells, and I screamed my head off. Some of the girls smiled at me, a few waved, others who knew me looked embarrassed when I yelled their name, and a few girls just went by in a daze.  It was fun to see all of our tutus going by on girls, moms, coaches, and a couple men! We definitely helped put the sparkle and shine in the day!

Little Glam Runner Girls

Glam Runner Adults

After the race we hung out for a bit and said our goodbyes to the girls. So sad, but one of the girls from my group is moving to Utah this summer after being a part of GOTR for five seasons. Her mom (a PE teacher) was instrumental in helping me start the Girls on Track group in Carmel Valley this season and helped fill 6 of the 9 spots on the team! Its hard to imagine GOTR without her, and I hope she settles in well with her family in her new town. 

We'll Miss You Stella!!

They’ve told me that Mt Pleasant, Utah doesn’t have GOTR  … um .. yet!!  GOTR  was started in San Diego a few years ago with one site and 6 girls. When I started coaching 2 years ago there were 6 sites and 80 girls, and now we have 15 sites and 180 girls! Maybe someday we’ll catch up to some of the mega-chapters like San Francisco (1700 girls) or Chicago (3500 girls)

Cousins Giselle & Sophia Came Out to Run

Summer Break

Now that the season of GOTR is over whatever will I do with my time?? Oh yes, work, focus on running, enjoy the summer with David, and build up the next inventory of Glam Runner tutus.  Interested in running your next race in a Glam Runner tutu? Fan us on facebook and check out our website for available styles and colors. 

Thanks to our Glam Runner Men!

Girls on Track

This month I am returning as Head Coach for Girls on the Run! But - I am actually coaching a new program called Girls on Track. Girls on the Run (GOTR) is geared towards 8-12 year old girls in elementary school, while Girls on Track (GOT) is geared towards middle school girls who are 11-13. The format of the program is the same and at the highest level the program has the same goals (establishing healthy habits), but some of the topics are more serious and are more applicable to the life of a middle school girl and her challenges. 

 

 

GOTR/GOT Vision

• To provide life-changing, high quality programs for girls
• To provide life-changing and high quality experiences to the women developing and delivering the programs
• To promote and provide an environment that allows girls and women to reach their full potential
• To positively transform how girls and women perceive themselves and their place in society

Girls on the Run San Diego (GOTRSD) launched its first GOT site this past Fall 2010 in San Diego, and expanded to a second location in Carmel Valley this Spring 2011. Why yes, Carmel Valley is my site! We had a really full group of GOTR girls and several returning girls were aging out and were more suited for GOT, so I suggested that we start a GOT site in Carmel Valley (our 3rd group in one location) .. and it worked out! I was looking forward to taking on a new challenge with a new program and age group, and luckily for me this group also starts 15 minutes later than GOTR each day. (15 minutes can be critical in the workplace!)
 

 

Its really exciting for me to be a part of an 'expansion group'. When I first started coaching in Fall of 2009 there were only six sites. Now, there are fourteen! Our chapter has had amazing growth! If only my product from my day job could do so well

I'm only a week into coaching GOT but so far I love it. I really did love my girls from GOTR, but at times it was tiring to police a gaggle of elementary school girls. It is completely amazing to see how much more mature and respectful these middle school girls are! Its amazing, I went from 8-10 year olds to 11-12 year olds and that 1-2 year difference is like day and night! The girls sit still, pay attention, absorb what you say, participate eagerly in critical thinking. Wow! I know some of the other coaches were apprehensive of the pre-teen girl years, but so far its not that bad!

I'm excited to progress through my twelve weeks with these girls. Its a new experience for me, for them, and for the coaches. In the end I know all of us will benefit and grow from the program. I love Girls on the Run. :o)

(If you want to follow my coach's blog, you'll find a link to each lesson's recap over on the left column of this blog.)