Week One of Marathon Training is now in the books and I am midway through Week Two! Had a great mid-week run around the UIC Medical Campus this morning.
It is amazing how fast the season flies by starting at 5 miles and ending at 26.2 in a heart beat. I missed my first training session with Chicago Endurance Sports (CES) last Saturday, but it was for a great cause! I was a running buddy in the Squeez'd 5k for Girls on the Run! It was my first Girls on the Run event and an amazing experience. I got to see the results of the GOTR program first hand.
I was greeted at Grant Park early Saturday morning to 100's of girls, their coaches, buddies, parents- all bubbling over with excitement despite the rain and cloudy skies. There was nothing going to kill these girls' spirits! They had been training hard for this day! The CES crew was recruited for Shield's Middle School by one of our CES team members who is a math teacher at Shield's. There's nothing quite like the love and support of the CES family. I was happy to be a part of the this event, giving back some of the love and support I have received in the last couple of years on my own journey.
I found my flag among the many many many CPS schools who host the GOTR program and was overwhelm by the level of enthusiasm and general sparkliness of these lovely young women. I was glittered-up with some purple (my favorite color!) sparkles and we were ready to rock.
The young lady I had the pleasure of running with was an incredibly bright 8th grader at Shield's Middle School. Over the course of 3.1 miles, her longest distance to date, we talked about the GOTR program, high school (squeel!) dreams and aspirations (I think I convinced her to add "marathon" to the list). It was truly a joy to spend the morning with her. Through her eyes, I could see what an impact the GOTR program has made on her and her classmates. The program teaches the young ladies a variety of valuable life lessons such as nutrition and self care, interacting with peers, discipline, etc. though fun games and learning. They are able to develop confidence and strong bonds with their classmates in a safe environment. I am so grateful to be raising money for such a great organization.
Please consider donating to my fundraising efforts so that more young woman can experience this program! Ever dollar helps... no donation is too small!
AND... This week I made it to 25% of my fundraising goal! Woot! Woot!
Donate Here!
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| CES Represents! |
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| My inspiration! |
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