Coach!
1. I'm going to be working with a school and an amazing (amazing, amazing, amazing) group of women as an assistant coach for Girls on the Run. I know the chairwoman of the board of directors for the northeast Indiana chapter, and she has been after me to get involved for years. However, the locations were never convenient and the time commitment during work hours was too great. This season, though, a school near my office was added to the program and as an assistant, I can volunteer at one practice – about 1.5 hours a week.
About Girls on the Run:
Girls on the Run is a non-profit program for girls in third through eighth grade. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. The 24-lesson Girls on the Run curriculum combines training for a 5K (3.1 miles) running event with lessons that inspire girls to become independent thinkers, enhance their problem solving skills and make healthy decisions. All of this is accomplished through an active collaboration with girls and their parents, schools, volunteers, staff, and the community.
I had my first volunteer meeting on Sunday, and it was very exciting, overwhelming and humbling. I realized that as much as I'm helping the girls, they will be helping me. I can't wait to start the journey!
2. The one bummer about being a GOTR coach is that the 5K is the same weekend as the Fargo Marathon. "What's the issue?" you ask. A couple of gal pals are planning a road trip to run the North Dakota race, and I was one chocolate-raspberry cake away from convincing Mark to let me go with. The 12-hour drive (each way) and weekend would help fill the void in my running heart left by the Bourbon Chase.*
Now, I'm feeling very itchy to sign up for something epic. Some race that is hours and hours of from Fort Wayne.
3. Also exciting this week, I booked our lodging for summer vacation! We are driving to Florida and making an extended stop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The trip is all about family – we're visiting Mark's extended relatives in the St. Petersburg area and my brother and sister-in-law will accompany us to the Smoky Mountains. But, you all know me, and I plan to get in as much running as I can. I've started looking at where I can run in Gatlinburg. The mountain roads aren't the best (narrow, steep and windy) but it looks like I can run an 11-mile loop at Cades Cove and there are some trails.
I love running in Colorado so much and I know it won't be the same but I can't wait to be in the mountains again.
*My team was not selected to run the 2016 overnight relay in October. I have run the race the past two years.
Cades Cove is a really pretty place and you'll enjoy a run there. It takes forever to drive there from Gatlinburg though so just factor that into your timeline, especially if you're trying to get there before they open the loop roads up to traffic at 10 a.m. Auto tourists drive fast on that loop and are busy looking at the scenery and not for runners, so I wouldn't necessarily want to be running out there in the middle of the day. There are a ton of hikes though all throughout the park so you'll definitely get your exercise in.
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