My daughter, 9, was ecstatic to participate in Girls on the Run this spring.
For those of you not in the know, Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization with the mission to “inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.” At the conclusion of each 10-week season, the girls complete a 5k running event.
A Mother’s Thoughts: This is awesome
GOTR sounded awesome! Girl power! Run a 5k! You can do it!
I happily sent in the enrollment check and penciled in the twice-weekly GOTR sessions on our family calendar.
A Mother’s Thoughts: WTH?
Then the proverbial shoe dropped. A running shoe, natch.
I found the following line in one of the first official GOTR emails to parents:
“We strongly encourage you to begin training now so that you can participate with your daughter!”
Wait. What?
Begin training now? Participate with my daughter?
Uh…
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy exercising and I played sports in high school and college. Even now you’ll find me in my living room sweating to my favorite workout videos.
But run?
Bleeech.
Run a 5k?
Bigger bleeech.
A Mother’s Thoughts: the Mother-Daughter relationship
Besides the whole running part, there was the mother-daughter dynamic to consider. My daughter would either tell me she DIDN’T want me to run, so I wouldn’t train, and then she’d change her mind at the last minute before the 5k and beg me to run
-OR-
She’d say fine, run, and I’d spend 10 weeks training until just before the event when she’d tell me she really DIDN’T want me to run after all.
So what did I do?
- I signed up for the 5k.
- But, I didn’t tell her I signed up.
- I started training.
- And, I told her I was training.
In the real world, that makes no sense. In the “I’m-the-mother-of-a-daughter world”, that makes perfect sense.
A Mother’s Thoughts: Training for the 5k
I was going to write a hilarious post titled, “Top 10 Thoughts I Had While Running” and then I realized I didn’t have 10 thoughts. I only had one, over and over:
“Ugh.”
After 10 weeks of “Ugh” the big day arrived.
A Mother’s Thoughts: Running the 5k
On a blustery May morning in Michigan, complete with snow showers, I ran the 5k with my daughter.
Ok, so I ran and walked the 5k with my daughter.
Ok, so I ran and walked the 5k with my daughter who really didn’t run or walk the 5k with me because she was happily running the 5k with her buddy. Look, here she is crossing the finish line at least 10 minutes before I did:
Girl power, indeed!
A Mother’s Thoughts: Final Thoughts
My daughter loved Girls on the Run program. Not just the 5k, but all the activities and lessons learned over the course of 10 weeks with 20 third-grade girls.
And me? I loved it that she loved it.
Next year, though, her Dad gets to participate in the 5k!
I’d have panicked if I had seen that I needed to do it too! Oh man. I think I’d have just walked the entire way if I had to do it. So far my daughter has no desire to do anything like this. But that could change.
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I know another mom who just decided to walk it – and was totally fine. I guess I thought I’d try it as a challenge. It WAS good to have a goal to work towards, but I never, ever got that mysterious “runner’s high”!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…A Mother’s Thoughts on Girls on the Run
Isn’t this always the way with kids’ activities? I definitely want to be involved in my daughter’s life and interests, but if it includes running I am totally out. I’ll have to be the official timekeeper or otherwise drive alongside in a golf cart (which I will have to purchase, naturally) to cheer her on. I hope her interests include reading, watching Netflix, and other indoors activities.
LOL! So many times I suggest to my kids that we watch a movie and they turn me down. Whose kids are they?! I just want to sit for 90 minutes.
Love your golf cart idea, btw.
I really can’t wait to do this with my girls! It’s a great initiative!! Well done though! At least I have a few years to go before I have to start training! ?
And if you actually *enjoy* running, then it’s probably not so bad!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…A Mother’s Thoughts on Girls on the Run
As a Girls on the Run coach for two years, it was not mandatory that a parent run with their daughter-they just needed to find a running buddy!
I know, I know, but it was strongly suggested! All the other moms/dads who signed up fell for it, too. 🙂
Oh Katy, good on you. The best part? That you pulled up 10 minutes after her. I cannot tell you how often that has happened to me. We have a 10k here that is modelled after a race in Auckland. I’ve done the Auckland one – years ago. Also done the 10k here several times – before I had kids. When my two were your daughter’s age we started participating in it again. My two ALWAYS managed to finish leagues ahead of me. They were so happy. “We beat Mom!” Their happiness was the best. I will never forget the dad, running backwards and yelling at his wife “come onnnnnn. The kids are miles ahead of us!” So what?
Maybe one day you and I can walk/run/drink coffee or something stronger together in a similar event. That would be a hoot.
Kelly L McKenzie recently posted…All One Needs Is A Little Perspective
Kelly, we will do something amazing together one day. Might not be a 5k.
My son was merciless, by the way, the rest of the day telling me how slow I was. Hmph. Didn’t see him run the 5k now did I?
Train alongside our daughters? Wow you are awesome! They just started this program at my daughter’s school. I wanted to join last year, but scheduling was a mess. It should be better next year. I am a terrible runner, so UGH would be my thought too. Still probably will be. I love that you did this though. I will keep you posted on our adventure 🙂
Jen recently posted…The Happy Now Blog Link- Up # 9
This sounds awesome! My daughter says she wants to go running, but when I told her we’d have to get up earlier, she dropped that pretty quickly! LOL!
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Girls on the Run is such a great program! It’s awesome that you trained and ran the race with her! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Jill
Doused In Pink
Thank you! It was more positive (me running that is!) than negative.
Ha! Uh yeah, I’dbe like “You go GIRL!” Like, my girl can RUN WITH IT while I cheer her on from the sidelines. This mama can’t run, nor do I want to. Good for YOU for diving in and DOING IT with her!
I’ve heard such great things about that program. I’m so glad your girl loved doing it!
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