Girls on the Run {my coaching experience}

For the past 12 weeks, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I would change out of my Wellness Assistant attire into my Coach Hillary running attire.

Getting involved with Girls on the Run, a national non-profit organization, was something I wanted to devote myself to after participating as a Running Buddy for two GOTR 5K races. 

What is the Girls on the Run?

Girls on the Run is a positive youth development program which combines an interactive curriculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in pre-teen girls. Our core curriculum addresses many aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental and social well-being. Lessons provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions and to avoid risky adolescent behaviors. {source}

Program Design

The 24-lesson cirriculums teach life skills through group processing, running games and workouts. The three-part cirriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes understanding ourselves, valuing teamwork and understanding how we connect and shape the world at large.

Girls choose and conduct a community service project

At each season’s conclusion, the girls complete a 5K running event as a group

Kids have never been “my thing.” I’ve known this ever since I was a teenage baby-sitter. Frankly, patience is something I don’t have a lot of. I knew all of this going into the program, as I was volunteering myself for a position working with 3rd to 5th grade girls. Never being a coach (of any kind) before, I applied to be an assistant coach on my application. It was meant to be, however, when I was placed as a co-head coach at the elementary school across the street from my office. 

I was skeptical, at first, that I would succeed in my duty as a GOTR coach. My dependable co-coach and I were placed at the “toughest” school in the county. I will not lie… there were probably more difficult practices than there were easy ones, and there were a handful of days when playing hooky crossed my mind. Frustration occurred on more than one occasion.

Were the messages getting across to the girls? Are their “workouts” sufficient in getting them across the 5K finish line? When girls didn’t show up to practice, a debt of appreciation hit my heart.

Though, at our last practice, everything came full circle. I was rewarded with a clear understanding of the impact I had, as Coach Hillary, on the lives of seven young girls.

What I learned as a Girls on the Run coach:

• The girls may never remember to wear proper running attire, but they will notice that you’ve worn your running shoes every practice.
• Little things are big things. Pink hair spray and face paint on Race Day will give them the confidence to complete 3.1 miles. 
• Every one of your girls will cross the finish line.
• Crossing the finish line, dead last, might be one of the biggest accomplishments for the diabetic girl that walked every lap during practice.
• You will get chills when she does.
• Their “laziness” is much deeper than you will ever be able to understand. Motivation isn’t fed at every family meal.
• In fact, some girls don’t have family meals. Some don’t have meals at all.
• Ants on a log will brighten their day.
• Spending half of practice taking silly photos may be more beneficial to their joyful being than trying to cram in the daily lesson verbatim.
• Not every 3rd to 5th grade girl has a passion for running, but they will all passionatly sing a song together out of tune as they dance down the sidewalk.
• While the girls seemed to seldom listen during the lesson of the day, they realize that you listened to whatever words they voiced, whether happy or sad.
• The girls won’t understand pacing for years to come, but they understand presence.
• When your girls smother you with hugs and sweet goodbyes, you will understand your purpose. 

Little things really are the big things.

I highly encourage you to check out Girls on the Run if my experience has intrigued you to get involved with the organization in your area.

I promise the end-of-the-season hugs will leave a footprint on your heart.