Girls on the Run is so much fun!

I am now a volunteer assistant coach with an organization called “Girls on the Run” (http://www.girlsontherun.org/). It is a non-profit organization with a simple mission: To educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living through running. How does it work?

The head coach along with myself and another volunteer assistant coach meet with the girls after school, twice a week for an hour. We lead them through a life lesson of the day (ex. one lesson we did was on beauty and what does it mean to be beautiful, what is the difference between inner and outer beauty, etc.). Then we go out and RUN because at the end of the 12 weeks, all of the girls will participate and finish a 5k race! We do running relays, games, etc. to make running fun for the girls. It is a non-competitive group, so as long as the girls are moving forward (running or walking), they are learning that taking care of their bodies is fun and feels great!

We are in our fourth week of the program and I am already in love with this organization and everything it stands for. With all the conversation as of late concerning education and our youth, it can feel overwhelming to think about how one can make a difference. And even though I’m only spending about two and half hours a week with these young girls, I have already connected with so many of them. During our runs/walks they talk to me about the pressures they feel from their classmates, about their feelings concerning their bodies, what they want to be when they get older, they ask me what to do when their older brother/sister drives them crazy (of course I don’t have any experience with this as my little sister never drives me crazy, haha), they talk about what makes them happy…and yes I’ve even learned a thing or two about silly bands.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and watching every single girl finsh her first 5k in December! I will be sure to post an update but in the meantime, if you’re looking for an organization to get behind (especially all my girlfriend runners out there!), I would definitely reccomend Girls on the Run.

We end every session with a group cheer saying “Girls on the Run is so much fun!” And yes it is…