Thursday is national take your child to work day, so schools are closed meaning, no practice. Crud. The girls have already missed a bunch because of spring break, Easter holiday, and now this...nope, not gonna let this stand. After a mass consensus from the parents that they can all bring their girls to practice on Wednesday we realize that it will be the closest I can get to a full team attendance in a while. So I take advantage and schedule their practice 5k for this day.
The school is really supportive of Girls on the Run so they had no issue with me holding a practice outside my normal schedule. They even helped make announcements at the end of the school day to remind the girls to go directly to the field for practice.
I was super excited and nervous. I always am, because I am sure I am going to forget something important on the race day. Seriously, I am like a panicked mother over these kids. I got off work early, and rush to the school and I am sure I look crazy hauling food, posters, materials, etc....up to the field. The teachers just sort of smile and let me be.
So after all is said and done, parents start trickling in as the girls come to practice. The parents are great at cheering kids on and it really is amazing how the girls will try a little harder.
So you all know that part of us that is embarrassed to do anything overly silly in front of our peers? We all suffer from being afraid of just letting go and being a kid at heart. I find this more difficult that people will believe but I try not to let the girls see it. And I tell them all that I have a new Energy award for them to try out. They have been wanting new ones and so I spent some time looking for one for them. I ran across this gem
http://lavieenorange.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/a-year-of-going-bananas/
and I started smiling and giggling at my seat when I watched it on my lunch break. I thought this was a perfect energy award for kids. So I set the girls in a circle and we warm up and stretch. To get them excited and smling I get into the middle of the circle and start the cheer and to my surpise all the girls do it with me with smiling faces. I kind of hope they know I wish I could thank them because my peers are their parents and I must admit that I was feeling a little bashful about doing this in front of them.
So warm up, stretch, cheer -all check. And we set the girls off running. I actually plant myself at the other end of the field so that they have my silly self there cheering them on. I always run faster with an audience and I feel like they do the same. Everything goes according to plan. The girls run, I dance and make signs for them and cheer for them as they run by, parents keep coming to watch and cheer the girls on, and we have a pretty successful 5k. I think more than half the girls get all the laps they need for a 5k. And everyone else gets very close. Considering they really only get 40 minutes of practice to accomplish this, it's very impressive.
And in true fashion they all have race bibs, there is a water table with volunteers helping, there is bagels, bananas, and other snacks, including cupcakes for the girls as a little post event celebration, and the girls do an amazing job.
I think my favorite part was during the cool down stretch how the girls were able to do a lot of it on their own as a team. Counting for the stretch together, suggesting extra stretches to add, and just being super well behaved and cheerful. I like seeing how proud they are about running.
It wasn't till I got home and I had a little bit of sadness come over me. 5 of my girls are going to middle school next year and this was the last time I will get to be their coach for a 5k. Holy cow, I only have a couple more weeks before they move up. And I realize this has been the best year of my life and I owe a large part of it to coaching these kids over the past year.
But I am excited to watch these kids grow up and see the amazing things they do with their lives. I mean, shoot, there are adults who wont even try to accomplish something as difficult as a 5k and these girls are well on their way or have already accomplished it more than once.
I am so happy that this program exists.
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