Girls on the Run

My life today would look very different if it wasn't for running. If I hadn't gotten involved with Team in Training back in 2001 when I got to DC, I wouldn't have run my first marathon. If I hadn't run that marathon, I wouldn't have found DCFit in 2002. If I hadn't found DCFit, I wouldn't have met Eric and started dating in 2003. If I hadn't met Eric, life wouldn't be nearly as full and amazing as it is today.

This morning was sort of the culmination of all that. A few months ago, Piper joined the Girls on the Run team at her school, and we ran the GOTR 5K together this morning. It was such a wonderful thing to do with her although while she had fun, I'm not sure she's caught the running bug quiet yet. I had to literally pull her through a lot of it, we walked much of the course, etc. But, in the end, she finished, and I was so proud of her for persevering.

Here we are before the run.

It was pretty cold out this morning, so we were bundled up. The course for the race was pretty flat and it was cool seeing so many girls out there. Because our only goal was to finish, I have no idea how long it took us. But, here we are with our new, shiny medals at the finish line.

The funny part was that at the finish line, I saw my coach from Team in Training handing out medals. Weird. 

Anyway, I'm hoping Piper will sign up again in the spring. While she may not have liked the actual running part, I know she was proud of herself, loved our time together today, and keeps talking about how she'll get to be on the school news on Monday, so hopefully that will inspire her to become a runnergirl too.