Inspirational.

I've been sitting here for at least 20 minutes trying to figure out the best way I want to start this post. Honestly, I think the title says it all. You, the women of Running Grrrl, never cease to amaze me. I am so proud to be apart of this group and amongst women who inspire me.

After Sundays event, I couldn't even put into words what I felt.  Which I almost feel kind of silly for saying, because I didn't even do half the leg work!  It was the success of the event as a whole that really got to me.  When I got home, I called my mom right away.  I had to share with someone how awesome we did!  Well, my mom's actually in Holland on business right now.  I woke her up at 2:30 am, just to tell her how impressed I was that we raised over $2,000!  I said "Mom, we haven't even been a club for a year, and we just raised over 2,000 dollars!  Can you imagine once word gets out about our club?  When we become more prominent in the community?  Just think of the difference we can make!"  

But you know, we're already making a difference.  Not only in the lives of each of us as individuals, but in the lives of the family we just helped.  The gratitude shown by the one in need nearly brought me to tears.  I, in a small yet significant way, helped change this person's life.  No matter how small my role may have been, it was appreciated.  And all our roles combined, made for one kick ass, successful fundraising event!

People came.  They donated.  They played.  They sang.  They visited.  And a lucky few won some really great prizes!

  

 Unfortunately, I'm gonna be totally honest here and admit, I have no idea who our face painters were!  But they sure were some talented young ladies!  It was very nice and greatly appreciated that they volunteered their warm Sunday afternoon to come out there and do that for us.  Perhaps, they are Running Grrrls in the making?

I'm pretty sure we had the coolest carnival games ever.  Lori (and I'm not sure who helped) thank you so much for lending us your talents!  I had no idea you were such an amazing artist!  The games seemed to be a big hit amongst the kids.  I saw a little girl wearing her prize winning rings on nearly every one of her fingers on both of her hands.  I thought that was pretty cute!  She must have felt like a million bucks winning all those prizes!

I was glad to see a lot of the kids participating in the Cupcake Walk.  Cassandra made it easy when all they had to do was land in a chair and claim their goodies! I'm sure they just kept their eye on the cupcake prize!

It couldn't have been a more perfect day for a water balloon toss.  Although it seemed to be more of a water balloon throw for the younger kids.  I think they just enjoyed the splashing of the water.  At least most of them.... 

Overall, I don't think we could have asked for a better event.  We by far exceeded our expectations with the turn out we had and the money we raised.  The help of every Running Grrrl and her family has been noted and appreciated.  This wouldn't have been possible without you.

A special thanks to SLOtheStigma.org and Transitions Mental Health. We appreciate your efforts and for partnering with us on this event. Thank you for squashing the stigma associated with mental illness! Your efforts are recognized and appreciated. 

Also, to our talented musicians.  Matt Cross and his beautiful wife, Kristopher Stipech, and The Lakes (whom I unfortunately did not get a picture of).

And a HUGE thanks to everyone who came and donated their time and talents, those who couldn't donate time but money, and those who donated items for our raffle!  Mary Kelting Photography for her booth and the photo session.  Spencer's Fresh Markets for the water.  Something Sacred for the gift basket.  The Gym in Grover Beach for the 6 month free membership. The Garden Restaurant in the Embassy Suites Hotel in SLO. Trader Joe's of SLO for gift baskets. Starbucks in Los Osos for gift baskets. Tenaya Lodge and Spa in Yosemite. SLO the Stigma for donated t-shirt. The Growing Grounds in SLO for two gift baskets. Eclair Bakery in the village of Arroyo Grande for donated raffle prize. 

-- Lacy aka Lace Up And Go

First Loves

When I became a part of Running Grrrl I had no dreams of being the fastest runner or of even completing a half marathon. Lealah asked me to become a part of a running group and I said “yes”, because she's my friend. I had no intention of really becoming a part of the group. I figured I could tell her that I was working, something came up, and I would just keep excusing my way out. Not because I didn’t want to be a part of the group, but because it was running.

Growing up, I loved running. I realized early on that I could totally beat all of the boys, which meant I was always picked first for games at recess. Sometimes on the weekend my dad would take me out to run with him. We would go out and run from telephone pole to telephone pole, and I would relish every “win”. As I grew up running remained a part of my life. In high school and college my tennis coaches would laugh that I wasn’t the strongest hitter, but I could outlast most opponents and run down every ball.

After college I had an on again, off again relationship with running. Remembering the fun that I used to have with it I would come back and try to pick up where I had left off, only to be punished for my absence, left panting and sore from muscles I'd long forgotten. It was that relationship that I always came back to.

And then I started dating THE EX. Running became our thing. We did a couple of 10ks or just ran the bike trail on date night. It was great. And then we broke up.

I have never been one to trust easily. I spent many years building up walls to ensure that I wouldn’t be hurt. And then when all the walls came down I was told I wasn’t worth it by the person that I’d built my life around. I shattered.

In the aftermath of the breakup I threw myself into work and running. In the moments of silence that I had I would beat myself up and review every aspect of the relationship, and then I would cry to the point of throwing up. Where had I gone wrong? I rationalized that the demise of the relationship was due to some flaw in me. In an attempt to silence everything and assert my worth I started training for a half marathon and I made the horrible discovery that physical pain is easier to bear than emotional pain. I couldn’t bear the immense sadness, but I could handle running to the point of exhaustion. I slowly began to punish myself. But I loved the pain, mostly I loved knowing that I was the one inflicting the pain. And I vowed that nobody would get to hurt me again. I took what I had once loved and twisted it into something dark and painful.

A month and half went by with little sleep and constantly pushing my body. I dropped to 89 pounds. I couldn’t walk up stairs without getting light headed. And then I got sick. The doctor said that I was putting too much strain on my body which had led to an infection. I was exhausted. I stopped running when I came home.

I moved shortly thereafter and started to rebuild my life. I rediscovered all of the things that I’d given up. I went back to church. I fell back in love with writing, tennis and music. I made new friends and realized that I could stand alone and be alright. It took a year and a half to gain back the weight that I had lost, but it was a physical reminder of what I had done to myself and how far I had come. The girl that I once was, the girl before the boys and the self-doubt, re-emerged- strong, passionate and optimistic about the world around me.

Occasionally I would run. I would run for 10 minutes at the gym. I would run while playing tennis or chasing the dog. But I no longer ran for fun. And then Lealah asked me join the group.

Like I said before, I had no intention of joining. But Lealah's enthusiasm was infectious and the next thing I knew I was standing at Montana de Oro with a group of women I didn’t know, praying that I wouldn’t have a nervous breakdown. Before I started running I promised myself that at the first hint of pain I would stop. I was afraid that all of those old feelings would come rushing back. But there was no pain. I was met with smiles and words of encouragement. And I only felt relief when I finished. Still, I thought it was probably a fluke. I decided to tempt fate and ran the next week and was just as hesitant, but nothing happened except being slightly sore. My fate wasn’t entirely sealed though until Miracle Miles. Running on the beach, surrounded by people, they all just melted away. It was just me. No iPod, no self criticism just the sound of the water and my own breath. And I realized that I was happy. I was HAPPY. Perhaps the hardest thing to do is forgive yourself. But I'd finally done it. I could no longer punish myself for all the could'ves, should'ves and would'ves. Those old ghosts had been vanquished and there was nothing more to prove to anyone else or to myself.This was the running that I loved, the running from the playground, running after my dad to the next telephone pole, running to get to the ball. It had come back to me.

So Running Grrrls, thank you. Thank you for giving me back a piece of myself. You have no idea how inspirational and awesome all of you are. This group has allowed me to safely push myself and rediscover myself and running. I love how supportive everyone is and know that my success is your success as well.

Love,

Paloma (P-Phunk)

Who Doesn't Wanna Be Recognized?!

So as women we all know that sometimes being a woman is a thankless job. Not to say that it's a "job" to be a woman, but really it is work to be a "good woman." And all of us would agree that there is a difference between being the woman we sometimes wanna be and the one we ARE being...tirelessly. I've had plenty of conversations with you ladies where we discuss the stats: we work, clean, organize, take care of kids if you got 'em, plan, nurture, look good, smell good, accommodate, mediate, listen, sympathize, empathize, etc. etc. And the reward? Well, that's just it, a lot of times there is no outside reward. The reward is the simple, personal satisfaction we get knowing that we have managed to do all of this in a day's work and we're still living, laughing, loving, and running:)

Well Running Grrrl wants you all to know that we recognize you! We see all that you're doing. We acknowledge how difficult it is to make dinner every night (and I'm not talking scrambled eggs like me) but a delicious home-cooked meal, from a recipe (and then bring a bowl of it over for your best friend who doesn't cook)! We see that you get up everyday to raise children into people and those little people are lovely and vivacious! We recognize that you get up faithfully and get dressed, put on your makeup, balance your checkbook, grocery shop, and clean the house, with a smile, in spite of the depression and anxiety that may be churning in you. We see that you get up every day before sunrise to drive to work to a job you don't love just so your family can have benefits. We see that you're driving to a job you do love but it divides your life and spreads you thin. We recognize that you get up on Saturdays, your one day to sleep in possibly and come out to run with a group of women you hardly knew six months ago. We see all of this and are speechless. In awe of the women you are choosing to be and not the women you sometimes wanna be.

So here at Running Grrrl, we've decided that there really can't be enough recognition, acknowledgement, verbal praise...because it's kinda like Dr. Bravo says (he's kind of like the God of parenting sometimes, so I really listen when he talks) "you can never give a child too much love." And that's how we feel about you. We can never love you too much or say too many good things about you. So, with that said, we are announcing the start of RUNNING GRRRL OF THE MONTH: SPOTLIGHT'S ON YOU! In August, with the roll out of our new website, it will also feature a Running Grrrl of the month. She will be recognized for all of her amazing RG qualities. This means not just her skill as an athlete but really what is at the core of RG and that is, what makes you authentic, unique, special, and an amazing woman. We want you all to know that being a RG has about 10% to do with athletic ability and 90% to do with the heart, what makes you tick. You are encouraged to nominate a RG (either by emailing us, or on the blog if you'd like) that you think embodies some of these dynamic qualities and each month she will be featured on the site. And of course, you all know I love gifts, so she will most definitely receive a little something she can cherish (I know you all covet the dollar store beer mugs still).

Thank you again for all you do, as women, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, coworkers, wives, friends, and Running Grrrls. We love you!
-Her Broyle(s) Highness-

hey girls, i posted this on my personal blog, but found it to be totally applicable to all of you! so please, don't hesitate to comment!

-holla back girl

i love running in san luis.

i can't tell you how many times i've been so ready to dedicate an entire blog to all the sights and scents that spell home to me.  from the smell of wet asphalt at my old elementary, to the myriads of all those flowers i don't know the names of (yes i still pay $100 a month for the B.S in horticulture i received at cal poly).

SLO has it all, and then some.  

today that 'some' came in the form of my personal safety.  for those of you that are female, who run or hike, personal safety is never far from your mind.  i have lots of friends who only run/hike with someone else, or carry pepper spray, or some other form of defense-- but then there are those of us, myself included, who are naive enough to think that they are immune to any sort of calamity.  its SLO  after all right?!

i live in osos.  i do most of my running in osos.  MDO is my backyard and it doesn't get much better trail running than out here.  of course there have been a few isolated cases of attack in the park, but for the most part it feels pretty darn safe- our biggest threat being ticks, snakes and oak.  i've had my run in with all three, including the time a baby rattlesnake blocked my path and i had to be rescued by st. francis of montana de oro, or as i later found out the checker on aisle 4 at trader's. but that's another story for another time.  i'm used to the park, and when i get my music goin' and my stride dialed, i rarely feel frightened, or consumed by the idea that mariska hargitay  will have to discover my body later.

so the other day when my mom offered to watch the kids so i could go on a run, i agreed immediately. after dropping the kids off, i got my shoes on, turned up the gaga and hit the pavement. one of my old running routes from my days in SLO involves meadow park.  growing up, meadow was my old stomping grounds.  i had a bunch of friends in elementary school who lived there and i spent countless hours in that neighborhood doing paper routes, playing softball, and hiding in the bushes to spray innocent bystanders with a water main.  there were some good times for sure.  so when i passed the obligatory homeless man i didn't think much of it, till a few hundred meters up i thought, that guy wasn't just collecting cans in his shopping cart- there was more- he had that look that crazy couldn't contain.  it gave me a little shiver as i made my way onto the path in meadow park.  of course just as i turn the corner i almost hit another (male) runner, and then we do that super awkward like who's gonna take the lead bit- there are only two of us on this single track path, and i'm having thoughts like 'if i'm in front he'll probably attack me from behind, if only my hand could automatically turn into a switchblade when i'm provoked...' you know all the normal stuff.  once  i safely get away from him, i notice a 'work crew'- you know the kind.  yeah, the CMC kind.  of course they are hardly working and seemingly very loosely supervised.  i keep going, and just as i'm getting ready to exit the park altogether and get back on the road, i see a creepy white van that unfortunately i've seen at other parks one to many times.  next time i see it, i'm totally calling the cops.  i'm not one to judge *ahem* but that thing has got amber alert written all over it.  i tell you what, i'll take the cat ladies any day in their ratty ol station wagon parked in front of meadow park. at least they loved animals, even if they were the reason the show 'hoarders' came to be.  so i make it out of the park, back on the roads, and have a pretty uneventful rest of the run beside some questionable rabid dog that i was convinced would attack if i ran by to fast.  but then i remembered i have that fear every time i run by a dog after being 'for real' attacked while running when i lived in ediburgh.  

so the rest of the way to my mom's house i thought about how i could prepare myself next time for all of these 'situations.'  and then it came to me... a flash of pure genius.  picture it, me 12 years old, in a hot sweaty building near franks famous hot dogs.  the room was packed to the gills of women of all ages from 15-75 all awaiting their chance. 'next up, we have connie mcnoble...'  i hear someone shout.  everyone starts cheering.  i wait anxiously as my mom comes out with her war cry.  next thing i know a huge thing comes chasing after her- likely a man dressed in a hockey/football combo uniform with what looks like an nasa astronaut mask on his face.  next thing i know my mom is hi-ya-ing and ka-booming this fool.  the crowd goes wild.  my mom has him pinned... all 110 lbs of her.  handled. i'm confused, but incredibly proud. who can forget... model mugging.

no, that's not dark vador, just your local model mugger.

so the real question i know you are dying to ask... am i going to re-start a chapter locally?  i know, so very tempting, but even with all my free time, i think i'm gonna pass.  in the meantime we gotta figure out a way to stay safe in this urban jungle called SLO.  so here's where you come in...

'how do you best protect yourself when you go running or hiking by yourself?'

13.1 Miles. No problem.

Today after our run we discussed getting ready for the City to Sea Half Marathon, coming up this October.  Like Lealah said, you'll need to commit to running a few times a week to get your body ready.  And we'll all eventually work our way up to long runs on the weekends... 8 to 10 miles or so.  The thing is, anyone can run 13.1 miles.  You just have to commit and be realistic about it.  If you wanna do it, you have to train.  Not only should you look at it as, "I'm gonna run 13.1 miles!!!  Holy crap!", but you should also go into expecting to have a good time doing it and not feeling like you wanna die.

This is the training schedule I used to train for my first half marathon last month.  It's super simple and easy to follow.

HALF MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE.

And it'll have to do until we'll get a little training schedule up on the website.

Good luck ladies!  Let's do this!

-Erin

Keep on Keepin' On

So we officially completed our fourth event together this past Sunday (Miracle Miles, Walk Way from IPV Run, Hike for Holly, Strawberry Stampede). And although the Strawberry Stampede left much to be desired, I still felt like we had accomplished so much and ALL of us had so much to be proud of!

Since I was able to be around you ladies a bit more the past few days, I was getting a good read on where you're all at. And there kind of seemed to be a common thread: "I've been loosing motivation lately." I thought that this would be a great time for one of those Team Mom pep talks (remember I did get the "most loving mom-ish" award, so these talks are expected). I really just wanted to encourage you ladies...to inform you that that lack of drive you may be having is SO NORMAL!

Sometimes I have likened my relationship with running to that of some new boyfriend. You meet and he's freaking HOT! and you're feelin' really good about yourself because you've landed this great dude and he is bringing out the best in you and everyone's complimenting you because you got that new love glow and then, a few months later, when he starts getting super needy and you're thinking, "oh, wait, I need to nurture this thing? I'm tired!", then that once perfectly coifed hair you were so attracted to looks ridiculous and kinda metro and his desire to be with you now feels juvenile and annoying! You begin to realize that once the chase is gone, he's not as attractive as he once was. Well just as super hot, needy boyfriends can get old, so can your love affair with running. Welcome to adulthood.

This is the maturation element you need to be a great runner. You're not going to just "land" running and be able to walk away from it and reap the same rewards as if you dated it, fell in love with it, married it, had a few kids together with it, and still wanted to kiss it goodnight (I kept it PG). Running is truly like any great marriage, it takes WORK! And it hurts sometimes and it's boring sometimes and it can be the last thing you really wanna do sometimes, but I can say that after 20 some odd years of running (on and off), 9 Half Marathons and at least 10-15 10K's, I've put a ring on it...and it's freaking amazing!

Now don't get me wrong, my love can grow cold sometimes. But I've learned that when this happens I need to romance it a bit again. You have to give to it in new ways...no more Firestone as a "date" with your two (or three) kids, it's Roma or Novo or Tsurugi's, alone! So when I'm feeling this way with running sometimes, this is when I buy myself a new running bra, try new Bloks, make a new playlist on my IPod, or find a new route to run...or start a running team:) More often than not it's the little bit of motivation I need to get my booty out the door again.

Also, know that it is completely okay to say that you're "taking a break" from each other. HOWEVER, put a cap on it. Don't let your break be more than two weeks (unless you have an injury and need to heal), because like I learned in one of my crazy psych classes, distance doesn't make the heart grow fonder, it simply makes it grow colder. You wait too long and you might as well just order Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred cuz you're never leaving the house again. But I promise, if you keep nurturing it he'll be faithful to keep lovin' you back.

So anyway, I hope that this helped some of you...to run more, not find a new boyfriend. I'm proud of all of you and look forward to a lot more runs together! Keep on Keepin' on!!

Fight Apathy,
Her Broyle(s) Highness

Walk Away 5k Pictures!

Hi Grrrls!  Lacy here aka Lace Up & Go.  That's right, I finally have nickname.  I thank Mariah aka Shorty Schwarts for bringing it to my attention in her "Meet" post.  "Running for me is a release and is something I can do no matter where I am.  Lace up and go!"  Totally fitting and perfect!

I have tons of pictures to post from this event.  I asked my mom if she would be photographer, so you can all thank the crazy lady you saw in the bushes snapping your pictures as you ran by!  We had a great turn out of girls, and you all did great.  I should also mention that you are all so beautiful!  I mean that not only for the people you are and the joy I get from being in your company, but also because after going through these pictures, there were hardly any bad ones!  And seriously, who looks good when they run??  We do!  Because we're totally awesome and have sweet shirts so we stand out!  And it makes it even better that people are noticing!

I told my mom, "Can you take pictures of each girl as they run by or come through the finish line, or both?!!!"  I though it would be kinda nice to get some individual "in action" shots.  She did really well.  I'm sorry I don't have some of everyone, but the ones she did manage to get turned out great!  

I love meeting up with our team after the race.  It's the best part of the whole thing.  I like hearing how everyone did, what they thought about the run, what their experience was (like when they got lost and made the wrong turn - haha, sorry girls, I had to tease a little bit) basically just relaxing and feeling good about what we just did.

Of course, I have to mention our littlest Running Grrrl.  The proud, accomplished look on her face when she ran through the finish line was adorable.  So shout out to Lily for being amazing and completing her first 5k!  I don't think anyone can rock a tutu quite like you can! (Which I admit, I'm totally jealous of)!

Intimate Partner Violence, it even sounds dirty and terrible.  Like Erin (I think) said in the post before, you just don't think about that stuff happening around here in our quiet little community, but it does.  I never really thought about it before this run, but I guarantee you I will think of it more often now.  Being apart of this run, has opened my eyes to the difference we are making.  To know that my love (yes, I love it now) for running is in some way going to help a woman in her time of need, when she feels she has nowhere else to go, at a time when she feels lonely and scared....I can't explain how rewarding that makes me feel.  I hope it makes you all feel the same.