The E Journey: Girls on the Run

Anika and Jessica both completed their first 5 K this month. I couldn't be more proud. Aunt Kathy and I ran a race a few weeks ago, and there was a dad that kept yelling at his kid to catch up and run faster. I didn't like it, so I took it to heart to let them run their race. Jessica was completely overwhelmed by all the people and held my or Aunt Kathy's hand almost the whole race. She was very afraid of getting lost, and she often does. She knows this, and has taken to holding hands or taking someone with her whenever she goes away from a group. Its funny, sometimes.

It was a brisk morning, so we had plenty of layers on. And we got rained on a bit during the run.

But, they ran, most of the way. Anika started with us but quickly found a friend's mom that was going just a bit slower and stuck with them. We took our time, walked and ran. There were so many people that we often were forced to walk as that was the pace of the group. She wasn't sure we could finish, so I picked a spot and said we were going to run from the flags in - and she did it. In true Jessica fashion, she was even singing at the end. (Veggie Tales 'Keep Walking' to the beat of our steps). The girls cross the finish line on their own, so Aunt Kathy and I split off and met her at the finish. I'm not sure she'll do this race again, but she is willing to run again. I think Anika would be game to give it a whirl again, too.

Girls on the Run is a national program to give girls some exercise and empowerment. They practiced after school two days a week. She loved the practices, just not the CROWD at the race. Anika didn't really train, but with a full size soccer field, you do plenty of running, so it wasn't such an issue.