We had an awesome afternoon preparing for the big 5k fun run. We talked about gratitude and ways we can express our thankfulness. We also celebrated our season by signing each others t-shirts. And best of all we created a 30-foot poster for our parents to hold during our run.
We hope you enjoy the pictures. As soon as we gather all of the pictures from the run, we'll post those for you too!
Thanks to Martina's mom for the wonderful pictures!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
We can't believe we are almost done!
Tomorrow is our last GOTR session for the fall season. We'll be celebrating our accomplishments with some cupcakes. We'll also be focusing on gratitude and giving thanks for all that we are blessed to have.
We'll be making posters for our big race on Saturday. If you'd like to take one of our posters along the course to cheer us on, let usknow. Otherwise, we'll be posting them all around our meeting spot on Saturday morning.
If your daughter will not be making it to the 5k race, please let us know. Also, please let us know if she has a running buddy who is registered for the race. If she doesn't, one of us coaches or my husband will run with her.
BTW - Running a 5k is no small feat for someone who has small feet! As parents, you should be EXTREMELY PROUD of your daughters. This accomplishment should be rewarded with lots of hugs, kisses and high-5's.
We'll be making posters for our big race on Saturday. If you'd like to take one of our posters along the course to cheer us on, let usknow. Otherwise, we'll be posting them all around our meeting spot on Saturday morning.
If your daughter will not be making it to the 5k race, please let us know. Also, please let us know if she has a running buddy who is registered for the race. If she doesn't, one of us coaches or my husband will run with her.
BTW - Running a 5k is no small feat for someone who has small feet! As parents, you should be EXTREMELY PROUD of your daughters. This accomplishment should be rewarded with lots of hugs, kisses and high-5's.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tid bits about Saturday’s 5k Fun Run / Race
Driving Directions: The GOTR 5K Fun Run will be held at the South Germantown Recreational Park located at 18041 Central Park Circle in Boyds, MD. From I-270 take exit 15B onto Rt. 118 South. Follow this until the road narrows and becomes residential. Make a right onto Richter Farm Road and a left onto Schaeffer Road. You will come to a traffic circle. Drive three quarters around the circle and make a right at the tennis courts. Continue until you reach the parking lot on the right.
Road Closures: The entrance to the Park off Germantown Road will not be open at all the morning of the 5K so follow the directions above.
Arrival Time: Race participants should arrive by 6:45am. There will be signs in the ground all around the pavilion area with the names of schools. We should meet at the Ronald McNair sign.
Parking: As has been the case in the past, parking is challenging for those who arrive after 6:45. Race officials are strongly recommending that everyone arrive prior to 6:45am in order to park close to the 5k start/finish area and to avoid unexpected road closures.
Runners: All runners must wear a race bib in order to participate in the 5k Fun Run.
- GOTR Runners: Your daughters will receive their bib numbers on Friday after noon at the end of season party. The girls must wear this bib number on the outer most layer of clothing. (Sometimes, runners wear the bib on their pant leg so to make it easier to add /remove layers on their upper body.)
- All Other Runners: All runners other than GOTR coaches and participants will pick up their bibs (and t-shirts if they registered before 10/31) at the Runner Check-in table the morning of the race.
Race spectators: Parents and other supporters can distribute themselves along the race route to cheer on the runners, but, for liability purposes they cannot run in the 5K unless they have already registered and have a bib.
Race Registration: There is no race day registration! If you have not registered, you can still do so by taking a completed copy of the 5k registration form along with the payment to the Executive Director’s home in Bethesda. (7514 Oldchester Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817.)
The Course: This season's 5K course will vary slightly from prior 5K's but there will be ample volunteers along the route to direct runners. There will be water available on the course, and it is important to instruct the girls to take a cup and keep moving! It's not a rest stop.
Shoe Drive: Our community service project is to donate shoes to Soles 4 Souls. Don’t forget to bring your shoes to the race so the girls can participate! Any kinds of shoes, children or adult, will be accepted!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tues, 11/18: Being good sports!
Good googley moogley, it was cold out there this morning!
Today’s focus was on being good sports and showing courtesy. Coach Tanya lead the discussion about how to be good sports and how important it is that we all remain encouraging and positive about our sporting experiences. Some of the girls shared their experiences how others they know may not have wanted to be good sports, and in some cases, our girls were able to change the minds of those that wanted to act out or be unsportsmanlike. Our girls deserve a big A+ for the stories!!!
Our girls did their best to stay warm while they ran their laps around the blacktop. We started our warm up running fartleks. We played a line game where the last person had to speed to the front of the line. Sounds easy, huh? Well, you try sprinting past 10 other girls who are running!
It seemed the girls didn’t mind running today, as the movement helped keep them warm. In fact, although we didn’t count, we estimated that they did 5-6 laps before they realized they were running! (and running fast to boot!)
We then integrated our promises into our lap running. After each lap, the girls received a ribbon that had one of the GOTR promises written on it. Since there are 14 promises, everyone ran another 14 laps….yes, on top of the 5-6 they had already done!!! Our ladies were cold, their cheeks were red, and their noses were running. But by golly, they finished the challenge with smiles and cheers. The best part was when the quicker girls who had collected their ribbons began to cheer on the not-so-quick girls. Now that, parents, is the embodiment of sportsmanship.
….So where are the ribbons, you ask? You’ll see them on Friday. We are transforming them from individual 18” ribbons to colorful bouquets that will hang from a hair scrunchie. We’ve done the ribbon scrunchies before, and we can tell you that our ribbon scrunchie girls are a big, big hit at the race (not to mention they make it easy to spot our girls in the sea of young runners!)
Check back on our blog tomorrow. We’ll have more information about our end of season party (this Friday) as well as details about the race. For now, plan to be at the Germantown Soccerplex no later than 6:30am! (yeah, we said “a – m”!)
Today’s focus was on being good sports and showing courtesy. Coach Tanya lead the discussion about how to be good sports and how important it is that we all remain encouraging and positive about our sporting experiences. Some of the girls shared their experiences how others they know may not have wanted to be good sports, and in some cases, our girls were able to change the minds of those that wanted to act out or be unsportsmanlike. Our girls deserve a big A+ for the stories!!!
Our girls did their best to stay warm while they ran their laps around the blacktop. We started our warm up running fartleks. We played a line game where the last person had to speed to the front of the line. Sounds easy, huh? Well, you try sprinting past 10 other girls who are running!
It seemed the girls didn’t mind running today, as the movement helped keep them warm. In fact, although we didn’t count, we estimated that they did 5-6 laps before they realized they were running! (and running fast to boot!)
We then integrated our promises into our lap running. After each lap, the girls received a ribbon that had one of the GOTR promises written on it. Since there are 14 promises, everyone ran another 14 laps….yes, on top of the 5-6 they had already done!!! Our ladies were cold, their cheeks were red, and their noses were running. But by golly, they finished the challenge with smiles and cheers. The best part was when the quicker girls who had collected their ribbons began to cheer on the not-so-quick girls. Now that, parents, is the embodiment of sportsmanship.
….So where are the ribbons, you ask? You’ll see them on Friday. We are transforming them from individual 18” ribbons to colorful bouquets that will hang from a hair scrunchie. We’ve done the ribbon scrunchies before, and we can tell you that our ribbon scrunchie girls are a big, big hit at the race (not to mention they make it easy to spot our girls in the sea of young runners!)Check back on our blog tomorrow. We’ll have more information about our end of season party (this Friday) as well as details about the race. For now, plan to be at the Germantown Soccerplex no later than 6:30am! (yeah, we said “a – m”!)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Fri, Nov 7: We DID IT!!!! Our Practice 5K
Jubilant, triumphant, victorious, awesome, those are just a few words to describe the girls Practice 5K on Friday. Time flies when you are having fun and the day for the Practice 5K finally arrived. Could we have asked for better weather? Blue skies, warm sunshine, and mild temperatures, perfect for running, especially in November. The girls did their warm-ups with Coach Bill and Coach Jenn, received instructions about the course and the water/gatorade stops, and then they were off!
A big GOTR "Pasta" cheer for all of the running buddies that came out to run with the girls. Coach Connie assembled an all-star cast of friends (Rose Fisher, marathon mama), co-workers (Barry Hudson, chief motivator) and even her husband (Ken) to run with the girls and to staff the water stops (Thanks Patty and Jake!).
We were thrilled to have Brianna’s mom join us as well as Carolyn's brother (Andrew) and Erin's older sister (Meagan). We also had a mascot, Tiko, the cutest dog ever to keep the girls motivated to cross the finish line (Tiko also brought his doggie mommy, Mrs. Faunce, RMES Fourth Grade Teacher and all around awesome GOTR supporter). Coach Tanya even persuaded her son Steven to join in; he had to admit it was fun, even though he was surrounded by girls!
Coach Bill got the girls started on the course and kept running and encouraging the girls all the way through. He ran in his Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, “Big Ben’s number”, of course, and true to Pittsburgh form, led like a champion. He kept an eye out for pacing and form and made sure the girls didn’t rest too long. The girls appreciated the water stops, learned the importance of pacing and more importantly kept going and going until they finished. Did they walk? Not for long and then they were off running again.
How about the music? There’s nothing like good tunes(thanks to Coach Connie) to keep you going and provide a festive atmosphere, just like on race day. Each girl triumphantly broke through the finish line tape and was greeted with cheers and high fives from the buddies, coaches and volunteers. The best part, the girls cheered for and encouraged each other. Because we are a community, all of the girls and coaches, ran to provide encouragement to our final runner, Shannon, as she rounded the last corner and headed down the hill to the finish line. What a beautiful sight and sound to see the girls, coaches and buddies, chanting, SHANNON, SHANNON, SHANNON, as she made her to way to the finish line and broke through the tape.
The girls were tired, but there were plenty of smiles, high fives, and pride that they crossed the finish line. Each girl received her Girls on the Run T-shirt and water bottle. We do have t-shirts and water bottles for the girls who could not make it. Coach Connie passed out plenty of yummy snacks with hearty congratulations to each of the girls on their accomplishment. We are so proud of each one of the girls for completing the Practice 5K. They have worked hard and we see their commitment and perseverance when they show up for each lesson, ready to learn and participate. A big GOTR Cheer to all of the parents for bringing the girls each week and providing encouragement.
We missed Martina, Kylin, and Sarah, but look forward to celebrating with everyone during the final Celebration 5K. Check out our CHAMPIONS!!
A big GOTR "Pasta" cheer for all of the running buddies that came out to run with the girls. Coach Connie assembled an all-star cast of friends (Rose Fisher, marathon mama), co-workers (Barry Hudson, chief motivator) and even her husband (Ken) to run with the girls and to staff the water stops (Thanks Patty and Jake!).
We were thrilled to have Brianna’s mom join us as well as Carolyn's brother (Andrew) and Erin's older sister (Meagan). We also had a mascot, Tiko, the cutest dog ever to keep the girls motivated to cross the finish line (Tiko also brought his doggie mommy, Mrs. Faunce, RMES Fourth Grade Teacher and all around awesome GOTR supporter). Coach Tanya even persuaded her son Steven to join in; he had to admit it was fun, even though he was surrounded by girls!
Coach Bill got the girls started on the course and kept running and encouraging the girls all the way through. He ran in his Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, “Big Ben’s number”, of course, and true to Pittsburgh form, led like a champion. He kept an eye out for pacing and form and made sure the girls didn’t rest too long. The girls appreciated the water stops, learned the importance of pacing and more importantly kept going and going until they finished. Did they walk? Not for long and then they were off running again.
How about the music? There’s nothing like good tunes(thanks to Coach Connie) to keep you going and provide a festive atmosphere, just like on race day. Each girl triumphantly broke through the finish line tape and was greeted with cheers and high fives from the buddies, coaches and volunteers. The best part, the girls cheered for and encouraged each other. Because we are a community, all of the girls and coaches, ran to provide encouragement to our final runner, Shannon, as she rounded the last corner and headed down the hill to the finish line. What a beautiful sight and sound to see the girls, coaches and buddies, chanting, SHANNON, SHANNON, SHANNON, as she made her to way to the finish line and broke through the tape.
The girls were tired, but there were plenty of smiles, high fives, and pride that they crossed the finish line. Each girl received her Girls on the Run T-shirt and water bottle. We do have t-shirts and water bottles for the girls who could not make it. Coach Connie passed out plenty of yummy snacks with hearty congratulations to each of the girls on their accomplishment. We are so proud of each one of the girls for completing the Practice 5K. They have worked hard and we see their commitment and perseverance when they show up for each lesson, ready to learn and participate. A big GOTR Cheer to all of the parents for bringing the girls each week and providing encouragement.
We missed Martina, Kylin, and Sarah, but look forward to celebrating with everyone during the final Celebration 5K. Check out our CHAMPIONS!!
We want your shoes!!!!
Please bring your gently worn shoes to the GOTR Fun Run on Nov. 22 to support our GOTR Community Service Project -- a shoe drive supporting Soles 4 Souls. The Shoe Train of Potomac has generously agreed to ship the shoes to the Souls 4 Souls headquarters. Learn More
We are also looking for GOTR family who would be interested in staffing the shoe drive at the 5K and bringing the shoes to The Shoe Train in Potomac after the 5K for shipping. Please contact eve@girlsontherunofmoco.org if you can help out!
We are also looking for GOTR family who would be interested in staffing the shoe drive at the 5K and bringing the shoes to The Shoe Train in Potomac after the 5K for shipping. Please contact eve@girlsontherunofmoco.org if you can help out!
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