My daughter joined the
Girls on the Run group at her school this spring. The two-month program teaches girls to run a 5K race by the end. More importantly, it teaches them confidence, a positive attitude, and team spirit. The goal of the 5K is just to finish the 5K, not have the fastest time ever. Each girl needs a "buddy" runner at the final event. I was that buddy.
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| Happiness on arrival, even though it was 7 a.m. |
We arrived at the race's staging area only to discover we were the first from our group to show up. So we walked over to the Celebration Village, where the sponsors and vendors had booths.
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| The lonely school flag |
One booth provided hair styling which consisted mostly of putting cool colors in the girls' hair. My daughter got some red and purple for the race.
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| Spray color |
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| Checking her hands for coloring |
Later, the coach put some face makeup on her. Specifically, my daughter had two pink lines put under her eyes, like many athletes get (though usually they are black).
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| The final touch |
8 a.m. finally rolled around and our group headed over to the starting line for the race. We were in Wave 2, so pretty close to the front.
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| Packed in to run |
The rest of the family had arrived at this point and ready to cheer for us about half a mile down the road.
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| Noisemakers get ready! |
They didn't have long to wait for us to arrive.
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| An initial batch of runners |
My daughter and I did a combination of running and walking. I let her take the lead on when to walk. We did a good five and a half minutes before our first walk.
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| My self and my daughter |
Our family was able to move to a different part of the route and cheer us on again later.
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| Going at her own pace |
Occasionally I had to inspire my daughter to get going again at full speed after a walking break. I'd say we'd start again in a count of ten. Usually, she'd take off before the full count and I'd have to sprint to catch up!
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| Leaving daddy behind |
We runners had a good time, especially when we hit the water tables. The course was set as a big loop around a bunch of office parks, so it was relatively flat and very unpopulated on a Saturday morning. It's a perfect 5K location.
The finish line was the same inflatable as the starting line, so we ran through from the other side of the picture below. The other side says "finish," not "start."
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| Finish line viewed from the wrong side |
After the finish line, the girls got their running medals for which they were proud.
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| Medal |
They also had snacks set up for us, including water, bananas, apples, breakfast bars, and fruit bars.
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| Getting some post-race snacks |
I picked out a bar labeled "Pineapple Banana." The fine print also mentions kale and spinach. When I opened the wrapper, it seemed like they were emphasizing the wrong ingredients.
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| Only thing more disappointing than having to wear a pink shirt |
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| I don't see any pineapple or banana |
Being a parent of a prescholar, I had a food tester handy to make sure it was edible.
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| "Here, son, have a bite!" |
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| Nonplussed consumer |
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| I finish the bar |
My daughter had a great time, even though it was challenging. She enjoyed her breakfast bar.
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| Eating a normal-looking snack |
We went to a local
Panera Bread to celebrate with mid-morning snacks. For my daughter and me, it felt like lunchtime already. We enjoyed a croissant and a cinnamon scone. And sitting down!
Next year, my daughter is threatening to have Mommy run with her.
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