How my girl on the run saved my life

As I ran with my dog this morning ... wait!  What?  I really can't believe that I am writing those words (and, that I actually did run with my dog this morning!).  A year ago I could barely walk to pick my kids up from school without getting winded, and a few short weeks ago I was not a dog owner (but that is another story).

Like many women, I have struggled with my weight for years, always trying the newest "get thin quick" diet scheme without success.  Last fall my 9 year old daughter, Olivia,  signed up for her elementary school's Girls on the Run program -- a running program designed to empower young girls which culminated in a 5K race 2 weeks before Christmas.  From the first practice, Olivia loved the program -- something that surprised me because she is more glitter and glam than sneakers and sweats!  She was always animated when I picked her up from her bi-weekly practices full of information about the exercises and games they played.  A few weeks into the program Olivia brought home an information sheet stating that every girl had to have a running buddy for the 5K.  My partner called, "not it" quicker than me, so I signed up with my only goal being to not embarrass Olivia.

I was a memeber of the YMCA, so I downloaded a Couch-5K app on my iphone and headed to the indoor track.  The first day was a combination of running for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds.  I literally could not run for 60 seconds without my lungs burning and my legs buckling.  The 90 seconds of walking were not nearly enough for me to recover before "running" again ... I was sure that I would not ever, ever, ever get to the point where I could run 3, 5, 10 minutes in a row, let alone an entire 5K, but I kept at it.  Slowly but surely I began to add more minutes to my running time hating every minute.  A turning point for me was when Olivia came to train with me, and her words of encouragement were so heartfelt and powerful that she made me believe them.  I know that she was spouting out phrases that she heard at her Girls on the Run practices:  "You can do this"  "It doesn't matter how fast you are going, just keep going", "Never give up" ...  for the first time not only did I think I could do it, but I wanted to do it.  As the weeks went by, Olivia's self-esteem grew along with her running ability.  She learned about peer pressure, and anti-bullying.  Her coaches taught her to set a goal and to stay positive, and she coached me to do the same -- she was part inspiration and part Jillian Michaels!!!

I was only about 5 weeks into the 8 week Couch-5K program when the day of the race approached, and the race was outside (I trained exclusively indoors), with hills (uh ... I was only used to a FLAT track), and it was 30 degrees and snowing the morning of the run (yeah, no snow at the indoor Y), but I was still confident, well ... sort of!

just in case!

I was filled with excitement and anticipation as we pinned on our racing bibs and headed to the starting line, thrilled to simply be a part of something so unimaginable months before.

When we crossed the finish line I was never more proud of either of us.  I was amazed at what we had accomplished, and I was thrilled that I was done running -- the race was over,  no more laps around the track!!

so very proud of my girl

so very proud of both of us!

Then Olivia brought home a permission slip for the spring Girls on the Run session, and said, "Mommy pleeeeeeease can I do it again?"  What kind of mother would I be to deny her a truly life-changing experience:  the chance to meet new friends, to improve her self-esteem, to feel good about herself - to strengthen her body and her soul?  So, we signed up again, and this time I started my Couch-5K program immediately, I ran outside, I even practiced on some (little) hills, I began paying attention to my time, and I bought running sneakers!  As the weeks went by, I found myself rearranging my days to make sure that I had time to run.  I was slowly becoming a runner without my even being aware of it! What had begun as a way to spend time with my daughter had morphed into a full-blown fitness makeover, and no one was more surprised than me.

I had two goals for my next race:  beat my last time, and no walking.  Like the last time, I fully planned to stop running as soon as the race was over.  I'd still go to the Y to workout, but NO MORE RUNNING because I hate it, right?

The 5K was phenomenally powerful since it was a Girls on the Run exclusive event -- it was amazing and inspiring to see so many beautiful young girls full of confidence and joy ...

ready to run the 5K with all the grace and abandonment that childhood afforded them.  They put on their silly socks, laced up their sneakers and donned their tutus to take on the world -- I was simply along for the ride!

 I felt much more confident for this run

and I was full of anticipation for it to begin.

Crossing the finish line was exhilarating for both of us -- we beat our previous time by more than 8 minutes, and now I was finally done with running!

a well-deserved medal

goofing around

Olivia full of pride at her accomplishment!

The week after the 5K was over, I signed Olivia and I up for the ColorVibe run on Labor Day weekend because crossing finish lines is addictive, because running is good for the soul, because I can't deny the positive changes that running elicits, and, most importantly, because a little girl told me I can do it!