A Month At Pure Barre

Lift. Tone. Burn. The mottos behind Pure Barre.

"Pure Barre is a total body workout that lifts your seat, tones your thighs and burns fat in record-breaking time. Utilizing the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements set to fantastic music, Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective, yet safest way to change your body. Students see results in just 10 classes."

And exactly how you will feel after a Pure Barre Burlington class.

I went into Pure Barre with absolutely no idea what a class truly entailed, but with the guidance of my friend and Pure Bare Burlington owner Jess I gave it a whirl. Jess and I have known each other since college and she had yet to steer me wrong so I knew I could trust her.

Since losing over 60 lbs through Weight Watchers, I have been working on breaking out of my comfort zone and trying new workout/classes I wouldn't normally try.

So on November 16, I walked into Pure Barre Burlington for the first time and kept an open mind! :)

Well, I was nicely asked to leave ballet when younger for my lack of grace so a workout that revolved around a ballet barre seemed out of my element. :P

But Jess, Danielle, Becca and Dana really make every person that walked through the studio door feel welcome!

Also, in every class I attended I was surrounded by women of all shapes, sizes, athletic abilities and backgrounds. Everyone was there to have a good time and make their muscles shake.

Yes your muscles will truly SHAKE each and every class.

As someone who had a back injury and subsequent back surgery in January 2011, I am always weary of unknown workouts, but Pure Barre is prepared:

"Pure Barre is intelligent exercise. The technique protects your joints as it does not involve any bouncing or jumping."

There was absolutely no point in any of the classes, where my back felt too strained and if it needed extra support during the 7 minutes of abs at the end of class (yes 7 minutes) Pure Barre provides balls to place behind you back for extra support.

The personal attention shown by each instructor towards every individual in the classes is unmatched and makes the experience that much more personal.

I thank Dana for one Monday morning in particular when a simple "perfect form Dani" settled my nerves of doing every single move incorrectly!

During my month at Pure Barre Burlington I even got to share the experience with a contest winner, who happened to also be a fellow Weight Watchers Leader Heather (who has lost over 75 lbs).

It was the second to last class where I finally made it through the whole thing without stopping during any of the segments. I like to refer to that day as Pure Barre Perfection! ;) I was beyond ecstatic when it happened. A day that will live in infamy.

What I truly loved about the classes were the consistency in the areas of the body worked, but the exercises themselves varied by class and instructor.

You normally start a class with:

*warmup - abs and arms

*thigh work

*seat work

*7 minutes of abs & 2.5 minutes of bridge work

Because...

"The workout launches a full blown attack on the areas of the body all women struggle with: abs, hips, seat and arms. It defies gravity by tapering everything in and lifting it up."

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But my entire time at Pure Barre Burlington could be summed up in just one picture

and just one blog post - here!

If anyone has any of those qualities, you will LOVE this technique.

And if you are thinking, I could NEVER do this.

Yes, yes you can! Give it a try!

What A Difference A Day Makes...

I uttered the F word yesterday ... Failure! And releasing the feelings that had such a hold on me was freeing.

Plus It allowed me to truly enjoy one sweet Wednesday!

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I was able to sleep in until 7:30am ... woo!

You don't know the power of a good night of sleep until you have one!

Well, I had a decent one besides a middle of the night nosebleed that my wife helped me take care of - think blood all over my pillow, hand and face. Yeah, I'm apparently a child! That is my second nosebleed in the last six weeks.

But once I recovered from that I slept well. :)

I dropped the wife off at the train and headed to do my normal daily routines - drop off Weight Watchers paperwork in the mail, deposit Weight Watchers money in the ATM, grab my Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee and hit up Stop & Shop for any necessary produce.

Thankfully I was able to get home and post the blog post before heading out to lead back-to-back Weight Watchers meetings, but thankfully the work day was over by 2pm and I was able to head over to Watertown and visit with my best friend and her daughter Joanna.

 

How could I not smile with that face??

Plus I'm starting her early on the Dunkin' Donuts craze...

Plus, Sarah grabbed a great pic having the Dunkin' cup that says "Joy" since I was feeling nothing but Joy in that moment. That little girl is adorable!! I am an only child so I can't ever be a true aunt, but thankfully Sarah is giving me the honor of being an aunt to Joanna!!

After a wonderful afternoon with Sarah, Joanna and the pup Wyatt, it was time to head home, which with traffic normally takes about 45 minutes. Normally during that time, I'm annoyed and the road rage rises. But, as I sat there, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to be able to spend an afternoon with people I love. Focusing on all the blessing really helped the time pass in traffic.

When I got home, I had a couple packages waiting for me --- YAY!!!

The first was my sample Bulu Box.

The second was my first order from PV Body

It's a 15love black shirt (size L) and Performance Sportswear grey pants (size M)!!!

Those pants are definitely in the Top Three most comfiest pants I've ever owned.

After looking through my haul and knocking out some core work...

 80 situps, 15 real pushups, 20 modified pushups, & my plankaday: front forearm plank & reverse plank

I had a lovely low-key evening with the wife and pups ... exactly what I needed.

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This is exactly what I needed.

So thank you all for listening to my rant yesterday. I had to release the feelings that were pushing me down and now I can move on and start to figure out what I need to do next, but for now I will enjoy the special days!

What a day indeed!! :) :)

I'm A Failure...

... in every sense of my life! Yes, that was the feeling I carried around all day yesterday. I don't really know where it came from or why it came on so aggressively at one time, but it did.

It snowballed. With everything that went wrong throughout the day yesterday, the "you suck at life" feeling grew and grew.

Maybe it is a December tradition now for me to have a breakdown this time of year.

Right around now is when I had a little breakdown in the car with my wife driving back from spending the Holiday with her family. I just LOST it in the car. You wanna talk about an ugly cry - that night took the cake.

I just get really really REALLY good at bottling up my emotions - my annoyances, my frustrations, my sadness, my self-loathing, my unhappiness - until it all boils over in a big huge ugly cry fest.

After that night, the wife and I had some serious talks and we decided to move back (for me) to Boston - partly so I could lead a less stressful life. The whole deciding to move and it actually happened was a 3-week span.

On January 29 (the day after my half marathon), we loaded up the uHaul thanks to help from my dad and took the 2-day drive to Boston.

Flash forward to this week and for some reason I'm back to that person that is holding in the annoyances, the frustrations, the sadness and the self-loathing.

Maybe it has been happening gradually (probably the case), but it all seemed to come to fruition now.

Is it something about this time of year?

Was it triggered when I started thinking about what I wanted to do/accomplish in 2013?

Am I second-guessing the decisions made last December?

I really don't know what is at the bottom of it, but I needed to get the words out before I eat my way through this emotional struggle.

Food is not the answer, but for the past few days it worked quite nicely.

So I'm done turning to food and instead I turned to this space to let out the thoughts. To stop burying them with fried foods because that's what put me into Weight Watchers to begin with ... and I'm never going back to that person again.

Now, I will dig deep down to find out what is causing these emotions because in my heart of hearts I know I'm not a failure, but when I look at my life - the degrees I have, the jobs I've held - I wonder if I'm living up to my full potential.

But, I know in the meantime I need to focus on making healthy decisions and allowing all my emotions to flow through instead of weighing me down.

Hey, there's a reason I called this blog Weight Off My Shoulders ... so now I will use it to do just that.

Release!

Pure Barre Perfection

On Friday (December 14) the stars aligned and the Pure Barre gods shined down on me as I went through my second-to-last Pure Barre Burlington class and I was able to complete every single move Jess had us do. Oh yes folks!

My smile after leaving class that night couldn't be bigger!

I couldn't - and still can't - believe it...

I went into the class having had two horrible days of back pain - overall soreness with some sharp pain mixed in for fun.

So I reluctantly went to Jess' 5:20pm class on Friday, but I knew I would be able to make it through since the class is geared to keep people injury-free and to work around existing injuries/impairments.

I think taking the two days off before class made the difference. I truly listened to my body and tried to rest as much as possible.

Jess was ready to work on Friday from the get go...

I love how in Pure Barre they keep the warmup the same each time, but the remainder of the class changes each and every time.

Now the areas you are working are the same - thighs, seat, lower abs/back then the class ends with 7 minutes of abs/bridge work.

I like the consistency in the beginning as it lets you - as it is so aptly called - warm up without wondering what the heck is coming next.

I got the groove down of knee lifts with folded arms, arm pull downs and twists before heading into the 90 second varied plank (forearm with leg lifts, straight arm with knee pull-ins and side planks on both sides before breaking out some pushups and tricep pushups).

Then comes the arms work! Oh man, I love a day where I can make it through the entire arms section without putting my 3 lb weights down or taking a break.

And on that fateful Friday night, I didn't! I can see a tiny muscle starting to form and it bring me SUCH delight!! I don't want to be all big and bulky but I would like some definition ... which is what I am really working on now. So the arms section is a great help.

The thigh burning, the seat lifting and the abs toning is truly life-changing. "Tucking the tailbone," while simultaneously squeezing the Pure Bare ball between your upper thighs and standing on your tippy toes "like you're wearing your highest pairs of high heels" truly works EVERY SINGLE part of your body.

If you leave this class without your muscles shaking, you must be doing something wrong OR you are the most toned/in shape person in the world. :P

It was sad to walk out of Friday's class and know I had just one class remaining - Sunday at Noon - before my month at Pure Barre Burlington would be up.

But I was riding a high so I was really looking forward to Sunday's class ... even though I would be taking it right after back-to-back Spin and Body Pump classes.

Eek!

My 30s Freakin' Rock So Far...

We are just 3 months into my 30s and I already have a Top Ten list of moments that have happened! Whhaa??

Am I serious?

Hell yeah.

Since my 30th Birthday weekend in September, I have had some freakin' awesome experiences.

So I decided to share the Top 10 so here goes:

10) Climbing 2,000 stairs in honor of this blog's Facebook page hitting 2,000 likes

[embedplusvideo height="281" width="450" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/vu2XJX5kk6A?fs=1" vars="ytid=vu2XJX5kk6A&width=450&height=281&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=" id="ep3115" /]

I still can't believe that happened and I am still so thankful for each Facebook like my little blog has!

9) Completing my first Warrior Dash the day before my 30th Birthday

(Yes, I am including anything that happened in my 30th birthday weekend as fair game ... my poetic license! ;))

On that day, I faced many fears, but the biggest one my fear of heights - by climbing up the Big Wall on a rope and climbing down the Big Wall via a ladder. At first I didn't trust my arm strength - or lack thereof - to get over the wall, but then as soon as I got to the top - it happened. The cape on my Batman socks got stuck and for a moment, I panicked and thought I would have to live atop the wall for the rest of my life.

8) Earning enough votes to join Got Chocolate's Milk Team REFUEL

I filmed a video at Fitbloggin' in September 2012 and begged, pleaded and went to social media to try and earn enough votes to make the team and on October 26 it was announced that I was in! YAY!

I couldn't thank everyone that voted for me enough.

I am honored to make the team and can't wait to see what comes next...

7) Being selected to run The 2013 Boston Marathon with Tedy's Team in honor of the American Stroke Association

I am running in honor of my Stroke Heroes - my grandparents - and am so thankful to be able to spread the risks/warning signs/tips about Strokes to the masses. As well as, raising $5,000 for the American Stroke Association.

So far I have raised just over $1,500... if you are interested in donating, you can do so here.

6) Attending Fitbloggin' and meeting some of my Social Media Icons in person

When I got home from Fitbloggin' I really didn't think I had deserved to be at a conference with such amazing bloggers, but since climbing out of my pit o' insecurity I realized I really did belong there. I was meant to go there, get out of my comfort zone, meet some of the most incredible people I know IN REAL LIFE and have my world changed forever.

Plus, it didn't hurt that I got to have one amazing road trip with Tara and Meegan, get amazing hugs from Alan and room with the phenomenal Sue, Steve & Kia (my bedmate)!

To pick a favorite moment from that weekend isn't possible - there are too many to list and just thinking about that time puts a big ass smile on my face!

Now is it time for Fitbloggin' 2013 yet? ;)

5) Appearing on Fox 25 News with Dr. Sherry Pagoto To Talk Weight Loss & Twitter

If you missed the segment, here's the video.

I never thought I would be in front of the camera. While working in PR, I was great at putting other people in front of the camera so it was a tad shock to be on the other side of the situation. But, boy was it fun!

I couldn't believe how quickly the 4-minutes segment went. It was over before I knew it.

I owe a huge thank you to Dr. Pagoto for suggesting me to be a part of the segment in the first place.

4) Something I NEVER EVER EVER thought would happen ... I tried on a bikini and shared the picture with the world

This definitely happened before my birthday, but it was tied in to the milestone of hitting 30 that I conquered the fear and finally walked in to Sports Authority and tried on a bikini.

The whole experience is documented here.

I still don't know if the bikini will see the light of day. But at Spin the other night my friend Linds said something that gave me a moment that maybe it may some day.

Linds: "I'm going to keep Spinning for every Pina Colada I will have in Aruba."

Dani: "Well I don't have a vacation coming up. So what am I pushing for?"

Linds: "To make sure you wear that bikini next summer."

Dani: "Hmmm..."

Anything's possible, right? ;)

3) On December 12, I hit the lowest weight since probably Junior High

I weighed in 0.4 lbs lower than the day I hit Goal (which was my previous low) on January 10, 2012 (153.8). Wow, I was so excited I started crying - not to the point of an ugly cry - but pretty close!

Hard work + Believing in yourself + Weight Watchers = Impossibilities become Possibilities

2) Savannah Marathon

2 feats: for beating my previous marathon time by more than 2 hours and for finishing in under 4 hours

Again - things I never thought possible actually happened. With each mile that passed in the race, every time I saw my dad cheering me on along the course, I got a little push that I could do it. That it just might happen.

And it did.

And after catching my breath (that took a lot longer than usual), I wept and wept - big happy tears. I had done it.

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It comes down to this! The number one event since turning the Big 3-0 is...

Drum Roll Please

1) Hosting my own charity 5k for my 30th Birthday

Is anyone really shocked at this choice?

I didn't think so!

That day was one of the best of my life. I still can't get over that it really happened.

Feel free to relive it now - here.

And the great news is????

I'll be doing it AGAIN in 2013!

YYAAYYY!!

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Wow, just reading this list again makes me so excited for what is still in store. I mean this was just the first 90 or so days of being 30 ... I have a lot more to go!

Are you 30? Have you had a decade or age you feared turning, but then it happened to be amazing? 

Tedy’s Team Group Run – 10 Miles

Temperature yesterdsymorning at 7am on accuweather.com read 35 degrees. Real feel tempature? A balmy 24 degrees.

Yikes!

I wanted to just curl back under the covers and hide... but I didn't! I had a team run to do. Plus, the temps will just get colder as the winter training schedule goes on...

Plus my teammate Meghan and her husband Josh offered to give me a ride instead of a longer/colder MBTA ride. Their generosity became my accountability.

I put on my XL Under Armour long-sleeved shirt. Yes, I've been too lazy to buy a smaller size so I just keep wearing the larger one. :P It's all good.

I also decided to add a little Holiday cheer to the run by breaking out my Santa socks!

I'm ready to add more to it for next week! ;)

Once I got to FitCorp (our starting point), I noticed that one of my headphones were missing one of the earbuds. Ugh!

I went outside early to make sure my Garmin Forerunner 110 would "acquire satellites" before everyone else came out to start since the past 2 weeks I've been the last one to start because my GPS watch took so long to acquire the satellite.

Well despite heading out 5 minutes before everyone else, it still took 9 minutes to acquire satellites and I still ended up being the last person to start the run. Ugh!

I got about 1/2 a mile into the run and I was sweating. Apparently despite the Real Feel temp of 24 degrees, I had somehow overdressed for the run. And I still had 9.5 miles to go! Ugh!

So by the first Mile of the run, I was NOT feeling the run. I was letting all the little annoyances get in my head.

Then as I passed Mile One, I had a realization...

4 months from that moment I would be running The Boston Marathon itself!

Ahhh!!

If that doesn't put a little bounce in my step I don't know what could!

Once I had that vision in my mind, I powered through the next 4 miles to the halfway point. Our coach John and Tedy's Team Manager Zack set up a great water stop at Mile 5. I stopped, stretched a little and was ready to continue on.

The weather ended up being perfect. Week One (6 miles) we ran in snow the entire time and in Week Two (8 miles) we ran in a nice downpour. But on Week Three (10 miles) we had a wonderful clear sky!

So the final 5 miles were thoroughly enjoyable. With each step I could feel my grandparents - my Stroke Heroes - on each of my shoulders pushing and cheering me along.

It was great.

I felt strong and in control of my strides.

Before I knew it - it was Mile 9 and we were quickly approaching the final hill near the State House. If anyone knows the hill I'm speaking about, it's a doozy.

But thankfully my Spin classes and Pure Barre classes pay off on that hill each week, as I lock down and push up that hill as quickly as possible ... mainly since I'm ready to be done! :o)

I was definitely pleased with my time overall. This was the third week on the same course and I'm becoming more familiar with the bumps, hills and intricacies of the path each week.

John has slated another 10 Mile run for the group next week and I can't wait to break out my Santa shirt and socks! :)

Happy Running Folks!

Pure Barre With My Contest Winner

On Wednesday, my contest winner Heather was able to join me for Jess' 5:20pm Pure Barre class.

I wasn't totally sure how to prep her for the experience. I made sure she read up on all my blog posts about my previous Pure Barre classes and that she brought socks. :)

Heather, our winner, also happens to be a fellow Weight Watchers Leader in Boston - who lost over 75 lbs with the program.

"I took my first pure barre class and LOVED it!!"  - Heather

She is always open to try new classes at the gym so I knew she would be a perfect newbie for Pure Barre!

We got to class early and I made sure she was all set up. I grabbed my normal 3 lb weights, while Heather went big with 5 lb weights for the opening arm workout.

The class was full, but I was able to grab us a spot together in the back. ;)

Class started right on time and we were off. It kicked off by warming up the legs, abs and arms.

I love a good plank as many of you may know. I actually take part of the #plankaday challenge so one of my favorite parts of the abs warmup at Pure Barre is the 90 second varied plank - which includes a front forearm plank with leg lifts, straightarm plank, left side straightarm plank, right side straightarm plank then right into pushups (real and modified) and tricep pushups.

And wow are my arms burning by the end of that.

Then we lead right into arms - biceps, triceps and shoulders - which is a true burn. I am happy that I can now make it through the whole arm portion without putting down my 3lb weights (yay!). So as I looked over Heather was rocking the 5 lb weights, but taking the breaks when she needed to.

"Within the first few min my arm's were on fire.. and that was just the warm up!!" - Heather

I tried to let Heather know that the shaking in the muscles was normal and about to ramp up as we headed to thigh work... ;)

Jess was ready to kick our Pure Barre ledges (the area between your butt and your upper thigh area) and I could tell that Heather was loving these exercises. She was smiling, which is all that matters.

All of a sudden it was time for seven minutes of abs and the final 2.5 minutes of class, which is all squeezing and tucking while in a bridge. The lights are off during this time and the music gets nice and low. A perfect way to end the class.

As we were cleaning up, Heather let me know that she loved the experience so much that she would be back. She and a couple other Weight Watchers employees were looking for a way to celebrate the Holiday in a new way - instead of just going out to dinner - and she was going to suggest taking a Pure Barre Burlington class together.

YAY! Another Pure Barre convert... ;)

"This work out truly works your WHOLE body!! Not sure how much I will love it tomorrow when I can't hold my toothbrush..." - Heather

A Monday Morning At Pure Barre

Intimate class. Extra attention from the instructor.

Start the day out on the right foot.

Just a few of the many reasons why I enjoy taking a Pure Barre Burlington class in the morning!

With just a few days remaining in my month at Pure Barre, I took my normal Monday 7:10am class with Dana this morning and loved it - as usual.

She even noticed that I moved from my normal position in the right back corner of the room (near the clock/music) to the left front corner of the room. What can I say I was feeling wild. :0)

I highly recommend a morning class to anyone that can fit it into their schedule. The group is more intimate (in my opinion) and you can have more instruction from the instructor, while in the moment.

Dana does a great job of helping everyone out to make sure your form is spot on - which a newbie like me really needs.

She also does a great job of acknowledging and motivating each person in the room, which I always love ... but for some reason I especially appreciated it today.

Not sure if :

a) I needed the confirmation that after seven Pure Barre classes I actually looked like everyone else in the class - ie doing the correct move at the correct time ;)

or

b) I needed reassurance that the tuck I felt was strong/deep/right - was in fact strong/deep/right and I wasn't making things up in my head. :P

So despite having some back soreness from this weekend, I found with a proper tuck today I felt supported and able to hold all of the moves deeper than in previous classes. I did alter the "crunches" portion of the 7 minutes of ab as my neck had a twinge in it from a bad night of sleep.

(Wow, in this post I sound like I'm falling apart ... I promise I'm not - I hope!)

There is something to this practice makes perfect and those extra "tucks" while sitting in the car paying off.

I can't wait to see how class goes on Wednesday at 5:20pm with Jess at the helm and my contest winner Heather by my side.

2012 Road Races

January 1 - New Year's Day 5k - 25:27 (8:13 min/mile) - RECAP

January 28 - F^3 Events Lake Half Marathon - 2:05.40 (9:36 min/mile) - RECAP

March 18 - Ras na hEireann U.S.A. 5k - 24:33 (7:54 min/mile) - RECAP

April 1 - Fight Forever 5k/10k - *Ended up running 10k, which ended up being 6.51 miles 59:00 (9:04 min/mile) - RECAP

April 15 - Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 5k - 24:58 (8:03 min/mile) - RECAP

May 6 - Newburyport Spring Fever 5k - 24:42 (7:58 min/mile) - RECAP

May 13 - M.O.M.'s Run 5k - 24:06 (7:46 min/mile) - RECAP

May 17 - The Blues Run 5k - 22:23 (7:14 min/mile) - RECAP

May 20 - Harpoon 5-Miler - 38:23 (7:41 min/mile) - RECAP

May 27 - Boston's Run To Remember 5-Miler - PR 37:59 (7:36 min/mile) - RECAP

June 3 - PJK 5k - 23:10 (7:28 min/mile) - RECAP

June 24 - Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 10k - 49:28 (7:59 min/mile) - RECAP

June 28 - Raggae Ramble 5k - 22:26 (7:15 min/mile) - RECAP

July 15 - VERT-Sasquatch Trail Race (2.35 miles) - 18:59 (8:05 min/mile) - RECAP

July 22 - Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon - 1:51:43 (8:32 min/mile) - RECAP

July 26 - Jerry Garcia Memorial River Run 5k - 23:00 (7:26 min/mile) - RECAP

August 12 - Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) - PR 58:10 (8:19 min/mile) - RECAP

August 19 - Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half Marathon - 1:52:58 (8:37 min/mile) - RECAP

August 30 - Twist & Shout on the Charles River 5k - 23:23 (7:33 min/mile) - RECAP

September 13 - Mardi Gras Festival Run 5k - 22:37 (7:18 min/mile) - RECAP

September 15 - Warrior Dash (Gilford, N.H.) - PR 1:06:56.05 - RECAP

September 16 - The Dani Ryan Holmes-Kirk 1st Annual 30th Birthday 5k Run-Walk Ramble - 25:23 - RECAP

October 7 - Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) Half Marathon - 1:48:16 (8:16 min/mile) - RECAP

October 8 - Tufts Health Plan 10k For Women - PR 47:31 (7:39 min/mile) - RECAP

November 3 - Rock 'n' Roll Savannah Full Marathon - PR 3:58:49 (9:07 min/mile) - RECAP

November 22 - Framingham Turkey Classic Road Race - 22:20.08 (7:12 min/mile) - RECAP

December 2 - Yulefest 5k - 22:58 (7:24 min/mile) - RECAP

December 9 - Walter's Run 5k - 25:21 (8:11 min/mile) - RECAP

Girls On The Run & Walter's Run 5k

Girls On The Run is one outstanding and inspiring group. If you don't know about them, here is their mission statement:

We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.

Girls on the Run is a transformational learning program for 8 to 13 year-old girls. We teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.

I LOVE THIS!! I really wish there was something like this around when I was younger...

I've been hearing nothing but good things about this organization and finally started checking into volunteering a month or so ago.

Thankfully I heard back from Jen (their local Boston chapter's main contact) quickly and she let me know about today's event. The girls would be taking part in Walter's Run 5k in West Roxbury and they were looking for volunteers.

Yes! I was ready. :)

I arrived at the meeting spot - West Roxbury YMCA - early of course, but thankfully located the Girls On The Run Table. The pre-race scene was awesome. Seeing the girls meeting up with their coaches and running buddies, while also getting their "happy hair" (think pink hairspray) and some temporary tattoos from Athleta. I was really good at holding the water, paper towels and temporary tattoos for the ladies of Athleta. :P

I did try my hand at some spray painting for a little girl who arrived a little late - decent work I would say. :)

As the girls and their coaches/running buddies were heading to stretch, Jen let another volunteer Kate and I know they had a couple spare numbers if we wanted to run the 5k as well.

Twist my arm ... I was game. ;) Introduce Race #29 of 2012 - now this should be the last.

Since I wasn't sure if they needed extra running buddies or not I had arrived dressed to run - just in case. Plus, I had no idea how to dress for a race as a "volunteer" since I'm always participating. ;)

Kate and I grabbed numbers and headed to the Start Line. It was great to meet her, especially since she is also training for the 2013 Boston Marathon with a charity team so we had a lot to chat about.

We ran the first 2 miles together and it was nice. A nice casual pace since I had done a training run with Tedy's Team yesterday.

Kate and I parted ways at the 2 mile mark so I ran the rest alone - taking in the scene and cheering on the Girls On The Run participants I saw as I ran.

Then the hill hit.

Wha? I had not looked at the course map (I know - the usual) and did not see such a large hill on the horizon. There were volunteers saying "awesome job on the hill" so I thought I had reached the top. WRONG! As we turned left there was more hill.

BUT, this meant a nice downhill on the way to the Finish Line.

Since I hadn't signed up for the run officially, we will use my Garmin as the official time.

As soon as I crossed the Finish Line, I was handed a posterboard and cheered on the rest of the Girls On The Run participants as they approached the Finish Line.

It was SOOO much fun. I love running. I love cheering. It was awesome to see all of their faces lighting up as they realized they were about to finish.

My fellow cheerleaders

After the final runner crossed the Line

This woman was so inspiring!

we ended indoors for a pizza party and awards ceremony.

I loved all the posters hanging around the room!

The girls' faces lit up when they found themselves or their friends in a picture on the poster.

In addition to a great certificate that each girl got showcasing how awesome they were, they were each given a pretty sweet medal as well.

Yes I was allowed to take one too for my collection! ;)

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I am so lucky to have been able to be a part of the event this morning. It was a great experience and after chatting with Jen and Lori (the other main organizer) I really hope I can become more involved with the program ... and maybe even become a Coach ... in 2013!

I will definitely be helping with the Girls On The Run 5k in the Spring - as much as they will let me do!! We know I like planning races (see Birthday 5k). :)

Overall this was one awesome Sunday!! The girls really motivated me...