Girls on the Run

I kind of have a thing for female empowerment. Nothing puts a smile on my face more than watching my daughters conquer their fears, embrace their strength, and charge headlong into the challenges this ole life presents to them. I was determined to have my girls participate in Girls on the Run years and years before Liesel was even old enough to join. 

The program description says it so much better than I ever could:

Girls face social pressures and conflicting messages about how they should act and who they should be. Studies show that by adolescence, girls' confidence drops about twice as much as boys'. Friendships become more complicated and challenging, girls' perception of their academic ability declines, the likelihood of anxiety and depression increases and participation in physical activity plummets.

It doesn't have to be this way.

We believe that EVERY GIRL is inherently FULL OF POWER and POTENTIAL. By knowing they are the leaders of their lives, these are the girls who WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

YAAAASSSSSSS!!!

Circling up before the race.

I'm also a fan of running. Our ancestors surely ran from predators, enemies, natural disasters and many other threats because their two legs saved them. If they outran all that and survived, those genes were surely handed down to us. I believe our bodies were made to run. My daughters may not always be able to afford a gym membership, but if they know how to use their own two legs, they can always exercise for free.

Pre-race pep talk. I was giving Liesel some advice on handling the wind... basically telling her what you see on my hoodie.

Liesel wanted Annie to be her Running Buddy and to be honest, I was a little bummed. She and I have had some really great runs together and I was kind of hoping this would be a mother-daughter bonding thing. Then I broke my toe and man, was I ever grateful Annie was there for Liesel when I couldn't be!

Trying to stay warm.

The only little glitch is Liesel's school was doing their race on Sunday and well, we just have to draw a line somewhere. Sundays are our family day and our holy day. Fortunately, there are lots of Girls on the Run races and so we just registered for a day early. None of her friends were at today's race but again, Annie was there and she made sure Liesel had fun. It was SO cold (about 48*), seriously windy and there was a downpour about 10 minutes after they started. Even so, they muscled through.

Who runs the world? GIRLS!!!

Annie is not a runner by choice, but she told me they ran at least half the race and they finished in about 40 min which isn't bad for a first try! She made it fun for Liesel- letting her jump in all the puddles and they looked happy as clams when they headed down the final stretch:

Minutes after Liesel crossed the finish line and received her medal, she told me (soaking wet and shivering) that she wanted to do it again next year. I'm so crazy proud of her- 9 years old and she's already participated in an official 5K! She made great friends during the 10 weeks of training and found her footing- literally. I really loved the values they focused on and Liesel talked endlessly about the things she learned.

To my shock and amazement, Annie said she would do it again too! I really love this program and I'm excited for Liesel's sisters to get their chance to participate in Girls on the Run.

For now, I'm going to hang those running shoes up to dry.