Girls on the Run

Teaching at Norah's school this year gave us both the opportunity to try something new--Girls on the Run.  It's been something I've seen advertised at another school in the district, and I really wanted Norah to give it a try.  When a friend asked if I'd help coach in the spring so we could run the program at our school, I was happy to accept and signed Norah right up.  The program ran on Tuesdays/Thursdays after school from the last week of March until the last week of the school year.  We'd start with a lesson and warm-ups in my classroom, then do a game/workout in the gym/halls or outside when it was nicer.  I went in knowing nothing about the program, and found that it is so much more than a running program.  We had a sweet group of girls, and the lessons taught them self-confidence, teamwork, resilience, and many other important life skills.  It was so fun to see Norah interact with friends and make new ones who were younger than her.  My favorite part of each practice was the celebration at the end, where girls nominated others from practice and we cheered them on.  I loved seeing the encouragement they gave each other during practice as well.  We had a practice 5k in early May, where the girls' running buddies joined them (my dad was Norah's running buddy).  

The program ended with a 5k at the state fairgrounds the week after school got out.  Unfortunately, there was some bad weather nearby, so we were delayed and had to hang out under the grandstand for a bit.  The course was then modified because of time, so we didn't run a full 5k, but it was still a great experience!