On Friday night, Ryan attended his first Pure Barre class! My local studio hosted a “Bring On The Men” night and a few of my girlfriends and I brought our husbands. It was unbelievably hilarious and such a great time. I could not stop laughing on more than one occasion, especially because Pure Barre involves a lot of pointing and flexing of the feet and Ryan has flat feet that simply cannot point. We’ve joked about it before, but the class environment made it even more amusing!
Ryan was a great sport and said he has a brand new respect for the workout. He also mentioned that the 60-minute class flew by, which is probably what I love most about the workout. It always passes by in a flash!
Aside from the Friday night barre class, the other big highlight from our weekend was the Girls On The Run 5K!
Girls On The Run 5K
I have so many great things to share from this fun event, so buckle up. It’s time for the official race recap!
I am planning to do a comprehensive post about Girls On The Run (GOTR) and my experience as a coach in a future post, but here’s a quick overview of the program from the GOTR website:
I, along with two awesome co-coaches, coach a team of 6th – 8th grade girls through the Girls On The Run Iredell chapter.
(Me and Coach Rita!)
When I was first assigned to a middle school, I was rather apprehensive and worried the girls wouldn’t get into the program and think parts of it were silly, but I could not have been more wrong. Our girls were open-minded, enthusiastic and all about participating. Thank goodness!! Of course some lessons resonated more than others, but on the whole, we almost always had lively discussions and talkative girls.
After each lesson, we would head outside to the track for the running portion of practice where we slowly built up to a 5K distance. Saturday was the culmination of the girls’ hard work!
The official Girls On The Run 5K!
Unfortunately a good portion of our 17 girls couldn’t make it to the 5K (there was a school-related conflict for the 8th graders in band and a few of the girls who play basketball), but the girls who were able to come arrived bubbling over with nervous energy and excitement.
The 5K took place on Saturday morning at Catawba College in Salisbury. It was a chilly 30 degrees when Ryan and I arrived and we spent the 60 minutes or so we had before the start of the race chatting, visiting vendors and meeting the girls’ parents.
Eventually 9 a.m. rolled around and the kids fun run kicked off after we sang the National Anthem. Then it was time for us to line up! As a coach, you don’t have to run, but you definitely can! You can run on your own or as a “running buddy” for one of the girls on your team or a girl on another team who may need a running buddy. (Every GOTR girl is required to have a running buddy run with them on race day.)
I ended up running with one of our girls, V.
V and I lined up with all of the other girls from our team and their respective running buddies and waited for the horn to signal that it was time to start running!
After some excited chatter and a few jumping jacks to keep warm, it was time to go! I told V to tell me if/when she wanted to walk and assured her I was only there to keep her company and run at her pace. She ran a 47:00 practice 5K and wanted to beat her previous time, so that was her main goal.
We talked for most of the race and paused a few times for photos with the mile marker signs (and for a few untied shoelace incidents).
V did a great job and ran most of the first 1.5 miles. We started taking a few walking breaks after that, and her attitude was still very positive!
We later found out that as we were running, one of the girls from our team, M, crossed the finish line first out of all the girls running! GOTR is not about how fast you can run (every girl is given a bib with the number “1” on it and there’s no chip timing or awards), but we were still incredibly proud of M for her super-fast time! She came in second last year and really, really wanted to be first this year, so I was thrilled for her and her amazing accomplishment.
She is seriously crazy fast and Ryan said she finished around 20 minutes. Insane, right!?
One of the coolest things about M and her amazing running ability is hearing her teammates boast for her. They are all so, so proud of her talent and after we were done running, about half of our team came running up to me to tell me that M hit her goal. Such awesome support!
As V and I realized we were almost at the end of the race, I told her we were really close to beating 40 minutes and she said she wanted to run to the end. We ran around the track and through the finish line as the clock hit 40:02!
V was ecstatic that she beat her previous 5K time by almost 7 minutes and I loved hearing her chat with her teammates and share her excitement.
I was so proud of every single girl on our team for finishing the 5K and putting forth such a great effort on race day! It was the perfect ending to my first GOTR season and I truly, truly loved every minute.
And a big congratulations to all of the GOTR girls around the nation who ran in their 5K this weekend! You guys are rockstars!
***
For those who may be interested in participating in Girls On The Run in some capacity, you may click here to find a chapter near you. I cannot recommend getting involved with this program enough. It’s the best!
Disclaimer: Photo releases are signed by all GOTR girls’ parents and coaches are encouraged by GOTR to share photos to help spread the word about such an amazing organization.
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That is awesome that Ryan went to Pure Barre with you. It reminds me of that recent article you shared about a guy trying barre for the first time. 🙂 This event looks awesome! You are inspiring me to look into volunteering. Have a great week.
What an amazing experience! Just reading about these girls inspires me and I hope there will soon be a chapter near me I can help with.
Congrats to the girls! I bet they were so proud of themselves after the race (as they should be!!).
What a fun time! You got so many great photos of you and the girls. I love that you’re doing this. It sounds like such an awesome program for young girls!
This organization really does sound amazing! What a great way to build a positive environment and support for girls.
Oh my goodness! This post makes me so happy this morning!! I love that you did a recap and it is just so inspiring and refreshing seeing how hard these young girls worked and how proud of their accomplishment they were – love, love it! There is something so rewarding about helping people to achieve their goals or just push them to see how great they can be! 🙂 🙂
Also love that you got Ryan to the barre! I don’t think my bf will EVER go with me…. I won’t stop trying though!!
I am looking forward to your GOTR post. I’m seeking new volunteering opportunities for 2015 and this seems like it could be a great fit for me … I’m interested to hear a little more about the program from a coach’s perspective 🙂
Congrats on an awesome race!! The girls are adorable and looked like they had so much fun!! 🙂
Such a great initiative!!! Also love that you got Ryan to go to barre!!! Awesome husband!
Wow, that sounds like such an amazing experience! I had heard of Girls on the Run before, but it has been so great to hear about your experiences with it! It’s definitely something I want to look into volunteering with once I finish up school. 🙂
Looks like a really fun event for you and the girls!
So great to read about your GOTR 5K! I really wanted to be a coach, but with my work schedule I’m not able to, so I volunteered as a running buddy for the Philly chapter last weekend. Ours went through the zoo so we got to see some cheetahs and lions during our run which was pretty exciting for my buddy who had never been to the zoo. All of our girls were timed, but I like the idea of not being timed. I was also very impressed by my running buddy who was in 4th grade and finished in just over 38 minutes, especially because they only had a courtyard to practice running in since there are no tracks in the city. All the girls were so excited for each other. It was great. Definitely hoping to run the spring 5K too!
love that you were a running buddy!!!! thanks so much for volunteering!
So happy you are being a great advocate for GOTR! We had our final 5K exactly one month ago here in Minneapolis – the girls braved running on ice in single digit temperatures and all had a blast.
haha, I was a running buddy for our run in November and I noticed a lot of untied shoelaces situations. 😉
Congrats! How awesome!
Your GOTR recap made me smile. Would love to do this at my daugters’ school.
Loved this! I checked to see if we had a chapter near me, but we don’t. Sad day :-(.
Wow, that girl who won is crazy fast! I don’t think I’ll ever run a 5K that fast! Was Ryan sore from Pure Barre?
he said his hips were sore!
Congrats to V and M!!! That’s awesome that you got to help V challenge herself and beat her old time!
I never liked running when I was that age, but I wonder if there had been something like this. Great work!
I love the “Girls on the Run” idea! When you first mentioned it a while back I looked up a local chapter and there is nothing around me (Palm Springs, CA area). Such a bummer 🙁
Hi Julie! I just think it is awesome you took time to do this as a coach and give back to your new community. How rewarding. Great work. Oh, and bring the men to a barre class? Classic. I’d love to bring my hubby. He rarely comes to my classes, but I did drag him to a hardcore bootcamp I taught last week and he did an awesome job!
Aw! Salisbury/Rowan is where I went to school (Catawba) and where my cousin teaches elementary school! I wonder if you ran with any of her students. 🙂
Looks so fun! I love GOTR.
I’m so, so glad you posted this! I’ve been wanting to get involved with GOTR for a long time, but being in college and having to bounce back and forth between Nashville and Georgia makes it difficult. I definitely want to get involved after I graduate!
Yay, the 5k looks like it was such a huge success!!
I love GoTR. It is such a fun and inspiring organization. I loved my first year as a coach too and I can’t wait to do it again in the spring!!
Looks like such a fun and rewarding experience! I’ve always wanted to get involved with a GOTR group but can never get it to work out with my full time job’s schedule! Way to go, Julie! I know those girls all LOVED having you!!
I’m glad you are enjoying the middle school age, it’s not as scary as some may think! I love teaching this age, above any other!
Hi Julie, thanks for sharing your recap of the GOTR 5k! Getting young girls interested in running or any exercise in general is SO important. Kids aren’t moving enough anymore and it’s people like you that help make a difference! This post made me smile! Keep up the great work 🙂
We’re moving soon, but once we’re settled, I would love to look into GOTR – it looks like a great experience for the girls and the coaches too! 🙂
This is so cool! I’m definitely looking into a local chapter. I used to be a Girl Scout counselor and absolutely loved it. Sure the girls loved the experience too!
Thanks for the recap! We had to cancel our GOTR 5K due to bad weather, which was disappointing to all the girls and coaches. It was great to read about your race’s positive expeiernce!
aw, that is such a bummer!! i hope the girls are able to do it in the spring!
I think this program is outstanding!! You can feel your excitement and positivity through your posts. The girls were blessed to have you as there coach!! Awesome job!!!
Depending on how much schedule turns out next year, I really want to volunteer to Girls on the Run. It seems like such a great organization and I miss working with kids.
That’s awesome that Ryan went to Pure Barre with you. When my boyfriend and I first started to date, he came to a Jazzercise class I was teaching. He was a good sport. I wasn’t nice either-I put all my shimmy songs in!
GOTR sounds like such a great program. Glad your girls had a great race!
Well hell, this part made me tear up at my desk: “One of the coolest things about M and her amazing running ability is hearing her teammates boast for her. They are all so, so proud of her talent and after we were done running, about half of our team came running up to me to tell me that M hit her goal. Such awesome support!”
I love stories that highlight sisterhood. How beautiful!
GOTR seems like such a great organization! I’d love to get involved one day.
Julie, your enthusiasm and energy for GOTR and the girls is so evident and genuine. So refreshing to find a way to give back that aligns with your interests!
On a very unrelated note I’m headed to Longboat Key over the holidays, do you have any recommendations for fitness classes/studios near Sarasota? I saw they have Pure barre which I’d love to try!
Oh I hope you have so much fun!! I am not too familiar with gyms in the area but if you’re near Bradenton at all, check out Fit Crew! Ryan and I went once and had an amazing experience (and an AWESOME workout)!
What a fantastic organization! It looks like it was a great season. Do they do events in the spring and fall or just once a year? Will you coach a team again?
They have fall and spring seasons. And yes, I’ll definitely be coaching again!
Girls on the Run is such an awesome organization – I coach a group in Tallahassee, FL and LOVE it. We had our 5k last weekend and it was a really incredible experience. Anyone interested should really look up their local chapter and get involved as a coach and/or running buddy!
Love hearing from a fellow coach! Glad you are loving it, too!! <3
What a great organization! Looks like so much fun!
Looks like it was a great end to the season!! GOTR is such an awesome organization. I would love to coach one day but was a Sole Mate while training for the Paris Marathon. It’s a great way to support them and make your training matter 🙂
I ran as a running buddy at our local GOTR race last spring and I loved it! I was so impressed by not only the athleticism of the girls, but their positivity and determination. The whole event was so uplifting and motivating — I’d definitely do it again! I’d love to be a coach some day too! Such a cool experience.
Julie!
I love that you do this! I participated in GOTR way back when I was in elementary school and it sparked my love for running and nutrition (I am now a Registered Dietitian and long time runner). It is such a great way to instill healthy values into young girls and teach them that fitness is about being strong, energetic, powerful women that love their bodies! This made me smile 🙂 So great!
Aw, that’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you had a great experience!
What an amazing organization! I would love to volunteer with GOTR someday!
My supervisor at the YMCA is the Director of Girl on the Run our area and convinced me to sign up as a coach for the Spring. At first I was really apprehensive about signing up as a coach but your posts about it have eased my nerves, so now I am just excited to start 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I know she was so thrilled to have you running with her! And all the girls were blessed to have you as a coach! What an amazing organization.
This is awesome!!! I think organizations like this do so much good!! You’re amazing Julie!!
That’s amazing! In grade 5, my mom used to take a couple of my friends and me out to run about 3 or 4 kilometres every Friday after school. Starting at a young age makes it much easier (at least mentally) when you grow up!
Wow, you have inspired me to apply to be a coach for GOTR. I used to be a counselor for adolescent girls and I miss it! This would be a great way to work with that population again. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.