Allie is barreling around the traffic circle at her sister’s elementary school as fast as her little legs can go. After one lap, she stops in the middle of the pavement, and the big girls weave around her. "I’m tired," she
sighs, plopping down on the grass, only to pop back up again a few minutes later and set off after the pack.
One of the coaches runs by. "Shake it, sisters!" she says to the two girls in front of us. "I like to see you move it-move it."
We’re here to support big-sister Abby and her school’s chapter of Girls on the Run, a nonprofit character-development program with the goal of "educating and preparing girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living." Over several weeks, girls in Grades 3-8 meet after school to explore topics such as bullying, healthy habits and the difference between inner and outer beauty while doing fun group activities and endurance runs designed to train them to run 3.1 miles. The program culminates with a non-competitive 5K race.
Girls on the Run builds on some of the things I love about running: the camaraderie of standing at a start line with people of all ages, sizes and abilities; the rush of crossing a finish line knowing you achieved a goal; the fun of running with a friend and being surprised at how quickly the miles go by. But the program is about much more than running. It’s also about believing in yourself, treating others kindly and with respect, learning to set goals and keep promises, and understanding what it means to be part of a team and a community.
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My sisters are two of the reasons I run. I’m the oldest, and I took up running first, but now they run farther and faster. Liz runs marathons, Katie competes in triathlons, and I’m running to catch up.
We live in different states and only see each other a few times a year, but no matter where we are _ geographically and in our very-different lives _ running is something we have in common. When my sisters come home, we run in my neighborhood; when I’m visiting them, we run in theirs.
Sometimes we’ll work a race into a family get-together; last year one of the highlights of my Thanksgiving was a "turkey trot" near Liz’s house in Towson, Md. Other times, the family get-togethers are built around the races. For the past two years, both sisters have driven several hours so we could all run in the Utica Boilermaker 15K. For the first time last year, all three of us ran in the Pit Run, along with my future brother-in-law, who ran with a ring in his pocket and surprised Katie with a marriage proposal on the stage during the awards ceremony.
There is something about running that bonds us: the quality of the time spent together, away from phones and kids and other distractions; running side by side, dripping sweat or melted snowflakes, talking about big stuff and little stuff, everything or nothing, and sometimes, just breathing.
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Girls on the Run is a sort of sisterhood.
Whether they are tall or short, fast or slow, shy or outgoing, these girls are all running toward the same goals _ to complete a 5K race, and to feel comfortable in their own skins. They run together in every session, as partners sometimes, as a group supporting one member sometimes, but always as individuals with unique talents and stories and goals, and the common motivation of knowing there are kindred spirits in front of them and behind them.
During endurance runs, they get a rubber band around their water bottle or a sticker on an index card for each tenth-of-a mile lap. On quiet reflection day, they are instructed to focus on all the things they are grateful for while they run. During relay races, they are boisterous, clapping and cheering and chanting the name of each girl as she sprints forward.
This is Abby’s second year. Watching her cross the finish line at last year’s Girls on the Run Family Fitness 5K, with her coach at her side and her teammates yelling her name, was one of my proudest moments as a mom.
This year, she will run the race on her 10th birthday, with her friends and
parents and the little sister who is always trying to catch up cheering her on.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.
___
Lisa Miller is a freelance writer who lives in Oneonta. She can be reached at lisamiller44@hotmail.com.
Columns
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
