Surprise! I am a…

Girls on the Run Coach.

For maybe the past 2/2.5 years I have been a volunteer with GOTR at their 5k and on their 5k Committee. I kept saying I want to do more but my current work schedule does not permit.

Well…

This is something that has been in the works since mid January. While talking with Doreen, our Council Director, I found out that there would be a team in a nearby (20-25 min away) practicing Monday & Thursday in the evening. My first comment I think was OMG THAT IS PERFECT! I can’t help coach with any local teams because of their practice times but I can help coach on Monday’s right now since start time is 5 pm.

All the stars really aligned and a team came together. Yesterday was my first practice and the girls second. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to see how the girls grow during the season.

Yesterday the lesson was “Choosing to be a Girl on the Run.” One of the activities was if a choice is EASY, HARD, or IN BETWEEN. This got me thinking in just a regular day how many times we have to make a choice. I would say it is probably at least 100 in a day. But honestly it is probably more. Everything you do in the day starting with what time your alarm should go off is a decision you have to make.

You make several choices every day how you should respect yourself and others.

• Will you be honest?
• Will you tell the truth?
• Will you listen to others instead of being passive?
• Will you be a good friend?
• Will you stand up for yourself?
• Will you choose to eat healthy?
• Will you choose an early bedtime or a late one?

Just a few decisions that you make EVERY SINGLE DAY! Life is not easy but the choices you make can make it less difficult.

Being your best self is definitely an IN BETWEEN choice, in my opinion. There is so much pressure and so many obstacles that come your way every second of every day.

• You want to eat the carrots but someone comes to you with the most delicious chocolate chip cookie. What do you do?
• You want to go for a run but your best friends calls you and says they are going to your favorite store. You really want to see your friend and go shopping but you know you need a run. What do you do?
• You get home late for work and have food prepped in the fridge that just needs to be heated up. It is so much easier to just stop and grab something at a place on the way home. One won’t cost you anything the other will cause you to go over budget but it’s so easy to stop and have warm food as soon as you step inside. What do you do?

No matter how old you are there is always decisions to make and they can change the course of the day and your mood. Choose to be the best you can be every day. Every day is a new start.

Some of the responses I heard yesterday of “Choosing to be a Girl on the Run” was to be friendly, kind, healthy, be open to new experiences, and treat others the way you want to be treated. This is not only a GOTR thing. These responses are an EVERYONE thing.

Thank you GOTR for this experience and for already getting me to think and be inspired after just one session.