Xterra 12k and Girls on the Run

I have registered for some trail races so that I could work on my downhill running. In the past, I have always done well on the uphill but struggle on the downhill. Xterra 12k is at Cheyenne Mountain State park and it is beautiful. Unfortunately, I got sick before this race. Illness has been going through our family with headaches, earaches, tummy aches, and body aches. I caught it on the night before my race. I decided to take some pain reliever and run the race anyway.

I placed myself in the middle of the start pack because I wasn't too confident that I would do well. This was a bad idea, because I got stuck behind a lot of slower people and the track was too skinny for me to pass them. I ended up finding a spot to pass everyone and ended up having no one around me. It was so fun and I started jumping off rocks and running fast, but I had already lost a lot of time. Then, I reached a fork in the trail and quickly realized that I went the wrong way. I ended up behind all of the people that I had previously passed. Then, I fell.

I realized that this wasn't a race that I would win so I just ran for fun. A couple people asked me if I was a coach for Girls on the Run and I talked to them a little bit. When I finished, I saw that getting lost caused me to run an extra ½ mile. I ended up being the 74th female to finish and finished 11/17 in my age group.

I learned 2 lessons. The 1st lesson is to always start in the front of the pack and to be more confident. The 2nd lesson is to realize that trail running is confusing and I must really pay attention to the trail markings. I will just consider this race a good training run and good experience for future trail runs.

I was just awarded a, "Volunteer Spotlight Award" for all of the work that I have done for Girls on the Run and am so excited that I got involved with this organization.

I got involved with Girls on the Run a year ago when a friend of mine asked if I would be willing to coach at a school that didn't have a coach. I originally thought that Girls on the Run was just a track team for girls. But, when I went to the training, I realized that it was much more than that. They have a whole curriculum to teach girls how to be kind, respectful, and confident. I then decided that I wanted to start Girls on the Run at the school that my kids attended. Unfortunately, neither of my girls were old enough to start the program, which made it a little difficult to arrange childcare. But, I was so impressed by how much I learned about myself by coaching the program. We taught ways to deal with anger, excitement, and sadness. We really focused on being a team and encouraging each other. All of the girls became really great friends. I then got an invitation to apply for the race team. I thought this was perfect since I race so much. I was accepted into the program and now I wear my Girls on the Run shirt whenever I race and I always tell people how great Girls on the Run is. It is a great way to build girls self-esteem!