​Running the London Marathon has been a goal of mine!  I began the application process for a London Marathon bib number even before our family received orders to come to England.  The London Marathon is one of the six world major marathons (the other five being New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo), and in 2017 I made a goal to complete all of six world major marathons.
 
On cold afternoon in February 2021, 8 February to be exact, the Virgin Money London Marathon began the email notification process for ballot selections.  Many lucky applicants received fantastic congratulatory news of their entry selection to run the 41st London Marathon later in the fall. Unlike previous years where hopeful marathon applicants would receive a magazine in the mail, this year hopeful runners had to click a link in order to receive a notification if selected or not.
 
I was mid-run on the treadmill when I opened the email that read “You’re in!” I screamed with excitement, as this was my fourth attempt at trying to obtain a bib number for the London Marathon.   Several Stroller Warriors® members from SW Lakenheath also applied for bib numbers for London Marathon.  I instantly sent a message to Christina, Staci and Sarah to find out if they were selected.  After a few hours of waiting on results, it was looking as if only Sarah would be joining me.  I was thrilled that a SW friend and I both received numbers, yet disappointed that all four of us did not obtain the same news.  Staci and Christina both applied to run for charity.  After some wait time, they were both accepted to run for the Children with Cancer, UK marathon teams!  The four of us were training for and running the London Marathon!  This was our second marathon all together, with the Athens Marathon 2 years priors.  Even more exciting—, Andrea, also a member of SW Lakenheath, would be training with us as she geared up for the Manchester Marathon the week after the London Marathon! 
 
It was time to hit the ground running with training and fundraising!  Getting together for training was hard.  In true military fashion, there were many bumps and scheduling conflicts-- a deployed spouse, TDY’s, etc; however, we always tried to have a long-run partner each week.  We ran with members of Stroller Warriors Lakenheath ran during the week and it was lovely to have the company and support of fellow Stroller Warrior members.  The weeks quickly flew by, and we finally made it to the end after about 16 weeks of training.  Additionally, through posting on social media outlets and sharing our fundraising efforts with family and friends, we were able to raise over £2000 for Children with Cancer, UK! 
 
Race weekend had finally arrived.  The Saturday before the race we all took the train to London from Lakenheath to pick up our bibs, relax and run a Sunday morning victory lap! The weather was nice—with some rain mid-day during the run. The day of the race, the course was lined up the whole way with crowds of spectators cheering for us! Such an amazing experience! Never have I cried at a race until this day!   Prior to this race, I had completed 4 marathons and was always happy to finish.  But this race was different.  At around mile 8 of the London Marathon, I was overcome with joy and could not hold back the tears of happiness. So much time lost from the previous year during the hard lockdowns in the U.K. that it just felt so surreal to be running with so many people— as if life was as it should be! This marathon experience was one for the memory books!
 
London was truly amazing, if you get a chance do it! 

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​Emily L. left home of the Bay Area at 19 to join the Air Force.  After finishing a 6 year enlistment, she is now a military wife of almost 15 years. She has two girls ages 6 and 3. When not running, Emily enjoys travel, coffee and wine! Emily began running distance almost 10 years ago after getting out of the Air Force. Her favorite race distance is the half-marathon. She has completed 6 full marathons and 25 live/in person half marathons! This year she has set a goal of completing a half marathon every month! She is mid-streak of 10,000+ steps a day and 1 dedicated mile a day run or walk for over 565 days now! Emily is plans to get into the Chicago or New York marathon in 2022.  

After the unbelievably heartbreaking loss of thirteen service members in Afghanistan during the evacuation of US citizens and Afghan Nationals, Stroller Warriors® chapters and members from each stretch of the globe ran in support of the 2/1 Ghost Company and Tragedy Assistance Program Services (TAPS). 

TAPS serves an important mission aiming to give comfort, care, and resources to individuals grieving the death of a military loved one. Since 1994, TAPS has provided 24/7 services through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources­-- all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones.  Throughout September, many Stroller Warriors chapters ran in honor of the 13 service members who lost their lives and in support of TAPS. Running in honor of the fallen was a powerful way to show support to the grieving families and our military community.
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Stroller Warriors chapters accumulated mileage throughout the month-- tallying the cumulative miles run by SW members; while others hosted a weekday SW run or organized an online event in support of TAPS. The mileage between participating chapters totaled an astounding 2,505.25 miles. 

Thank you to every Stroller Warrior who dedicated miles. Your support and dedication to those around you never ceases to amaze.

Happy Running!
-Gabi P

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Gabi P. is a mom of 4 awesome kids and an Air Force wife.  She's been a part of Stroller Warriors Ramstein and Yorktown coordination teams and is currently a regional mentor on the SW HQ staff.  Her hobbies include listening to podcasts, working out, and of course running! 

Planks are Great! BUT do you know why planks are a brilliant strength exercise? Or the massive impact a well-executed plank can have on running form? When done efficiently, planks are a serious bang for your buck exercise— obliques are on, deep core engaged, pelvis positioned to bring hamstrings to the party, and breath work in this position can be beneficial.  Not to mention the added bonuses that come with the endless options of plank progressions and variations.  However, none of this is possible if the traditional plank is not solid. 
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Have you ever performed a plank and wondered why you cannot feel the work in your abdominals, but in other areas?  This is your body shouting that your plank is not in the optimal position.  The core cannot work as intended if your ribs are stuck forward.  It is common for the low back muscles, hip flexors, quads or even calf muscles to activate and try to assist for what the obliques are not able to do. Incorporating strength training exercises that help facilitate the optimal positioning of a plank is a great way to create a change in the core stability that will carry over into running.      
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Our obliques play a significant role in running—​ helping rotation and managing core pressure and breathing.  The obliques aid with these functions by allowing one side of the rib cage to go forward while the other stays back— one side expands while the other side compresses to load or unload each foot.  For these oblique functions to go smoothly during gate, the ribs must allow for expansion and compression.   The obliques simply will not have leverage to do their job if the ribs are stuck forward or if the necessary areas do not compress or expand.
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Let’s break down what should be “on” during a plank— working from the outside and meeting in the middle:

1). Head and Neck should be in slight extension with gaze slightly beyond fingertips.  This helps to keep the sternum long and encourages full breaths.  When tucking the chin and looking towards the toes, the sternum with scrunch and the position of the diaphragm and pelvis with change, therefore impacting the breath.
2). Hands should be pushing the ground away.  This helps facilitate shoulder blade protraction and engage serratus anterior muscle, which is what makes breath work in this position incredibly efficient.  The goal is to allow full expansion of the back with inhales.  Elbows should be soft and facing forward, not locked out to brace the upper body.
3).  Knees should not be locked out.  Locking out the knees will not allow the hamstrings to help position the pelvis correctly.  The goal is for the hamstrings to work with the abdominals to set the pelvis in a neutral position.

Think of your pelvis as a bowl of soup— the goal is maintaining the neutral pelvis, or not spilling the soup. It can be very tempting to squeeze glutes to maintain a neutral pelvis, but the goal is train hamstrings and abdominals to work together. The core will be ready to work when the pelvis is in a neutral position and the hamstrings are working in balance with the abdominals!
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Molly O. has been a member of Stroller Warriors® since 2015 beginning with SW Ramstein where she volunteered as a Workout Leader and a Chapter Coordinator.   Currently, she is a member of SW Elsewhere.  Molly has worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant for 8 years and 5 years as a Certified Personal Trainer.  

Thank you Molly for contributing your knowledge and experience to strengthen the Stroller Warriors community! 

As a native Bostonian, it is hard to imagine Boston without runners gearing up for and running the Boston Marathon on Marathon Monday, Patriots Day, a local holiday (the Massachusetts State offices even close on this day).  Marathon Monday is a jubilant day that always sports a tremendous amount of fanfare all the way from Hopkinton (where the race starts) to its finish on Boylston Street in downtown Boston.  Even months before race day, the course is electric— weekend group charity runs along Commonwealth Avenue, the 11-mile New Year’s Day training event that starts at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill and conveniently ending at a local pub on Boylston Street near the finish line, the 22-mile charity run on the Boston course flanked by charities and sponsors on the side-walks to providing fuel and swag to runners preparing for the big day, and of course there is the marathon race weekend with the pasta dinners, running expos with athletes parading around Boston, and scores of eager runners wearing their Marathon jackets!  On race day, the cool spring air often mixed with the scent of nearby grills at race parties, and the screams of thousands of fans (especially around Boston College)!  Spectators are lined 2-deep the whole way, both sides (that’s 52 miles), the Boston Red Sox even coordinate a home game so that fans can walk out post game and cheer for runners while offering enthusiastic encouragement to “run wicked fast” down that final mile! 
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Imagine all the excitement and work leading up to the Boston Marathon-- earning a qualifying time, the massive fundraising efforts by charity runners, the training, anticipation and excitement- then BAM…enter global pandemic…the marathon goes virtual SO CLOSE to Marathon Monday.  Though the pandemic stopped the actual Marathon, its spirit was very much alive- runners continued to fundraise for their causes, athletes ran virtually, and the tradition remained strong and was left unscathed.   

In January 2021, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced the Boston Marathon was postponed until October 2021.  The race was not canceled and even better— the BAA offered a virtual race option in celebration of the 125th Boston Marathon.  This was tremendously exciting news!  Shortly after this announcement, Stroller Warrior members from several chapters registered for the virtual Boston.  An captivating buzz spread throughout our Stroller Warriors community with members sharing their registration confirmations online and convincing others Stroller Warriors to join!  The exhilaration of registering for Boston was unicorn running happiness!  

The week and weekend leading up to the 2021 Boston Marathon was thrilling— after watching many of our Stroller Warriors share their Boston Marathon training journey, the race time was finally here!  Many members shared their running journey with their local chapter communities:

The City of Boston buzzed with happiness on the weekend leading up to the return of the Boston Marathon.  Virtual runners setting their courses in Boston seized the opportunity to run across the 125th Boston Marathon finish line through a massive crowd of people whilst taking pictures, enjoying the marathon fan zone/festival, and cheering for those crossing the finish line.  Imagine any previous Boston Marathon race day and amplify the excitement by 100— that was how the 2021 Boston Marathon will be recorded in the history books! Everyone from spectators to runners were ecstatic to be back— a bliss was in the air that I had never experienced before during a race!  Deafening cheers and screams rose from the crowd the entire time…so loud that the use of music with headphones was futile.  During the final half-mile, as I turned right onto “Mount Hereford” and left onto Boylston (after passing my kids, husband, mom, and all my brothers) the crowd’s roar was nearly disorienting…it jolted the inner-most fibers of my running soul!    

If this race is indicative of the running scene to come, I can only imagine how the runners at-large will feel when everyone’s favorite races are again open!  The 2021 Boston Marathon will forever be a joyous memory for myself and many members of the Stroller Warriors® community!  

Happy Running!
​-Rose 

​Ramstein Air Base played an integral role in evacuating Afghans during Operation Allies Refuge (OAR).  This historic endeavor at Ramstein AB happened due to the efforts of U.S. Forces, alongside the U.S. State Department, countless NATO partners, and local agencies- all of which sprung into action to assist evacuating Afghans.  Many U.S. service members were mobilized to Ramstein AB from different home stations, and everyone worked grueling hours to stand-up 24/7 operations.  As Ramstein AB faced an unprecedented influx of personnel, in addition to the evacuee population, more food was needed to fuel OAR’s operations tempo. 
 
Through the First Sergeants Association and Spouses Club, Stroller Warriors Ramstein offered support to those supporting OAR.  Stroller Warriors® Ramstein pitched-in by providing a variety of foods to those working around-the-clock supporting the mission.  SW Ramstein members provided delicious empanadas, macaroni-and-cheese casserole, corn bread, meatball hoagies, and nutrition-packed snacks with granola and fruit, and with energy drinks and soda, along with many other items.  All receiving food from SW Ramstein were incredibly grateful, and SW Ramstein was overjoyed to help.  

​Thank you, Stroller Warriors Ramstein for supporting this wonderful humanitarian mission!  If you are a military family close to Ramstein and would like to run with us, please request to join Stroller Warriors® Ramstein at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SWRamstein.

The final piece of our Five to Thrive Kettlebell Series is legs! We’re going to hit them with squats and deadlifts! Both of which have just as many variations as all our other exercises in the series. You know by now I absolutely encourage you to use your imagination, there’s no wrong way to use a kettlebell other than without clear intention. You also get that I absolutely feel kettlebells are a tool for play, learning, and discovery. What that looks like and develops into is as individual and unique as each of us! So far, we’ve covered: swings, cleans & presses, and get-ups. But let’s pause for a moment and consider the over-arching theme in the series: the neurology behind movement. 
 
Neurology, neuroplasticity, neuro-centric movement is really starting to take off and become trendy. But also, it may be that any term with the prefix “neuro” in it can be a bit scary or off-putting for you, which I can respect and appreciate. My hope and intention of this whole kettle bell series is that, coming to Stroller Warriors as a runner-- you’re starting to shift from thinking about training as a chore, accessory, or checklist item-- to a much broader and inclusive form of neural expansion. That expansion happens with the kettlebell, which is just a tool- a tool for play. In its essence and innocence, there’s no wrong or right way to play! Consider neural expansion, or “neuroplasticity,” as synonymous to play. That’s not so scary after-all. 
 
Let’s check out some fun ways to play with leg-driven exercises with our kettlebell. Remember we have the squat and deadlift. We can think of squatting as anything where we’re holding a load ON the upper body (with the exception of the good morning). You may have heard of front squats, back squats, goblet squats, overhead squats, split squats, and even compass lunges (where you’re stepping out at various angles as if you’re in the center of a compass).  All of these variations can be done as uni-lateral (with one weight on one side) and bi-lateral (a weight in each hand). This is where the element of play can make kettlebell training anything you make it! 
 
The other leg-centric skill/drill is deadlifting. I love deadlifting! It’s so elemental to being human: lift a dead weight from the ground. The definition is in the name. I love when things are as simple as that! Deadlifting comes in as many sorts and forms as squatting. (There’s that theme of play I keep coming back to!) I think you can be more gracious with your deadlifting application right away than most other kettlebell exercises because I know you’re already doing them IRL (in real life) as a parent and caregiver! Especially when it comes to adding in rotations. Rotations? In a loaded workout? Absolutely! When we think of lifting, the first images that come to mind are barbell squats, bices curls, sit-ups…these moves are done in the front-to-back (frontal) plane. But, when you are creating space in the joints as a precursor to your training, rotations are safe, effective, doable, and add a new element of variety! 
 
How many times have you picked up a limp toddler from the floor or out of their car seat, rotated, and placed them ever so carefully into a stroller or carried them to bed? That’s a hybrid move! You’re squatting, lunging, rotating, AND deadlifting! You’re already doing these things. Intentionally playing around with them in your kettlebell sessions gives your nervous system more successful reps under controlled conditions. When they surface unexpectedly outside of your workout, your brain goes: “oh, this is familiar. I have the wiring for this. I got you.” And you just do it. Because you’ve practiced it, you’ve felt good doing it, you can own it! No injury. No problem. No worries. 
 
If you’ve done barbell or dumbbell squats and deadlifts, you might find kettlebells to be more fun simply through the design of the bell. Its liveliness compared to the rigidity of the aforementioned comes from the center of gravity being in the center of the bell, as opposed to displaced on either side like in the barbell and dumbbell. Simply put, you have more options with the kettlebell. Personally, in the long run, I’ve felt there’s more control in using a kettlebell for more traditional lifts. 
 
We can’t leave the article without mapping a place to start squatting your kettlebell. We’ll put them together with deadlifts in a quick workout after we’ve looked at the basic “how-tos,” in a follow-up piece.
 
Here’s your template for the front squat:
 
For the front squat, you have to get the bell onto the front of your body, up into the rack. If you review the clean and press piece in this series, or have already been putting it into practice, then you know how to clean the bell up into the rack. If not, no problem! We can use two hands to help cheat-curl the bell up into the rack position. The rack is just the term for holding your bell by the handle, with the ball on the outside of your forearm. That forearm is directly in front of your biceps on the same side. Hold the weight low in the rack, let your traps stretch and sink your shoulder down. Think of supporting the load it with your core/torso. If you try to muscle the bell into place and hang on only using your hand and arm, you’ll fatigue quickly. We want to be able to hold a relatively heavy load, since your legs are really very strong. We don’t want to over-burden the low back, neck, and arm. 
 
I mentioned using two hands to cheat-curl the bell into the rack. Here’s how to do that:
- Start with your bell on the ground (away from living things and pricey flooring).
- Hinge at the hips like you would for your swing (hips go BACK FIRST). 
- Then slightly bend at your knees so you can reach your hands to the weight.
- Let’s use the right hand to rack to the right side.
- Hook grip over the top of your handle with your right hand.
- Use your left hand to come behind and to the back side of the handle
(It should look like you’re holding your own hand, with the right hand on the bell and your left hand over the top of your right hand).
- Push your heels into the ground and start pulling the bell upward, like you’re zipping up a really long coat, meaning the bell stays close and snug to your body without hitting it.
- The left hand helps to pull AND keep the load close, and then direct the bell into the ‘V’ of your forearm and biceps. 
- NO BENT WRISTS-- The forearm is an extension of the wrist: “There are no wrists in kettlebells.”
 
There you have it. The bell is racked and we’re ready to squat!
 
I will tell you right now, that with the load on the front of your body, you will feel it trying to pull you forward and down. Fight it with your whole core: brace your abs, stay tall through your back, pull up through your pelvic floor.
 
Breathing is also paramount in squatting as well as deadlifting. You must sniff in to create intra-abdominal pressure from the INSIDE of your core as well. This makes for a strong back, core, and squat. It’s like giving yourself your own personal weight belt to protect your spine! That’s an important and valuable skill. And you can learn it with practicing front squats. 
 
- We have the bell racked.
- We have the core braced, to include the breath.
- Now let’s squat!
 
Don’t collapse like an accordion as you squat! Keep a long spine. Keep your head tall. Your eyes can be fixed straight, or slightly down as you squat down. Eye reflexes work like that: if you look down, your body wants to reflexively go down by firing flexor muscles. Just be careful not to also flex your head neck and spine. Eye tracking is a nuance that can enhance your lifting- IF you can tolerate it. If it’s too confusing, look on the floor in front & center of you-- about as tall as you are. That’s a good rule of thumb for stability. 
 
I like to think about bone rhythms as I squat. Sounds fancy. It’s just taking into consideration what’s happening at your joints, to move your bones. Muscles are attached to bones. So shifting focus from muscle to bones or joints might help you feel as comfortable with squatting as it did me. Let’s just look at the hip joint for now. 
 
When you squat down, the hip, being a ball in socket joint, will roll back and down. Of course, in the beginning of your squat training journey, we want to focus on keeping your knees behind your toes. I like to think that my shins stay vertical, as if they are in snow-skiing boots with a very slight shift forward of the shins. You really must have the ankle mobility, and core strength to go deep into a front squat. You can play with depths and load as you progress. But I recommend that you stop your front squat just before your thighs are parallel to the floor. “Why not parallel?” you may be thinking. That’s a common axiom. But the pressure on the knee in a beginner is best kept slightly above, or slightly below parallel. As you get stronger, more mobile, and comfortable in front squatting a kettlebell, you can play with depths. 
 
Once you’re in the bottom of your squat, (some refer to it as “the hole”), we reverse to standing. Simple enough because squatting is primitive. If you need to breathe here, take another quick sniff in to keep the pressure in your core. And, just as the hip rolls down and back as you descend into the hole, it will roll up and forward as you stand.  Bone rhythms can really help simplify your lifting! That’s exactly why I like them. There are a lot of muscle moving and things happening! But thinking of just one spot, doing one thing, helps your brain focus. 
 
If you’re having trouble staying upright in your front squat, practice face-the-wall squats without a weight. They are as simple as they sound:
 
Face a wall
- Step in as close as you feel comfortable, maybe two feet from it in the beginning. 
- Keep both of your feet fully on the floor
- Hinge back at your hips to initiate the move
- Keep your chest high, your head up, and your eyes forward
- Descend as low as you feel you safely can without falling backward
- Edge yourself in closer or out farther, depending on what you feel you need
- The goal is to get to just above parallel with your thighs, like you would for your loaded front squat away from the wall
 
If you’re not used to squatting technically correct, your low back is going to light up trying to keep you stable and upright facing the wall. That’s a good thing! That’s exactly what should be happening. Maybe front squats aren’t even in your arsenal yet, and face the wall squats are your newest challenge. That’s awesome! I would rather see you comfortable working in a butt-to-heels, toes-to-wall squat, than any kind of loaded front squat. There’s more value to the mobility and strength in this kind of intentional squatting progression. I commend you for checking your ego and letting the learning happen instead. It will take you farther, longer. 
 
If face-the-wall squats challenged you, then that’s your front squat for now!  Work them until you own them! And then cycle back to them throughout your lifelong fitness journey! You can replace “front squat” with “face-the-wall squat” anywhere you see it in programming! 
 
Here’s something to get you started right now with some things we’ve already learned from earlier in the series. We’ll come back to deadlifts and another workout with them, in the next kettlebells for Stroller Warriors article! 
 
A
- 5 Face-the-wall squats (No additional weight. Body weight only)
- 5 two-hand swings
-S hake out your legs, take a breath 
**Repeat for four sets**
 
B
- 5 front squats with the bell racked on the Right side
- 5 front squats with the bell racked on the Left side
- 10 two hand swings
- 5 clean and presses with the bell on the right side
- 5 clean and presses with the bell on the left side
- 10 two-hand swings
**Repeat for three sets** If possible, use a 15lb kettlebell
 
C
Keep your 15lb bell for this kettlebell flow, where you’ll be moving from one drill to the next without resting your bell
- Start on your non-dominant side, I’ll use the left side to start for simplicity sake.
- Swing left, clean left, press left, reverse get-up, get-up, snatch, lower the bell to the front rack, front squat, dump the bell to a swing hike, switch hands at the top of that swing. 
- Repeat on the right:  swing, clean, press, reverse get-up, get-up, snatch, lower to the rack, front squat, dump the bell
- Rest or swing switch directly back over to the left side.
**Shoot for a total of six times running through the chain of drills, going back and forth or side-to side the entire set. Meaning, not three runs on the left THEN three runs on the right. The swing to switch will help keep you keep count**
 
D
Be sure to stretch your hip flexors and shoulders with your favorite stretching drills!
 
See you next time for deadlifts! Have fun playing!

-Sara

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Sara C. has been contributing her fitness and kettlebell knowledge to the Stroller Warriors community!  Thank you!

Need a refresher?  Please take a moment to read Sara's previous pieces about Kettlebells:

https://www.strollerwarriors.com/blog/from-running-to-kettlebells

https://www.strollerwarriors.com/blog/kettlebell-swings-how-to-and-how-can-they-help-my-run

https://www.strollerwarriors.com/blog/get-up-for-mobility-stability-and-flexibility-a-counter-balance-to-the-swing-run

​https://www.strollerwarriors.com/blog/kettlebell-clean-and-press-for-a-stronger-run

Stroller Warriors® believes community outreach is a valuable piece of the Stroller Warriors mission.  Along with running and fitness goals, Stroller Warrior chapters strive to support the local military and civilian communities through charitable events, donation drives, community clean ups, and philanthropic opportunities.
 
After a full school year of virtual learning for some, back to school time was a celebratory event for everyone; however, many families are still feeling the financial impacts of COVID. Two Stroller Warrior chapters organized a summer outreach event collecting schools supplies in their respective areas to help families with back-to-school costs:

In July, Stroller Warriors Pearl Harbor gathered school supplies for a local school off post with a goal of aiding at least 10 students.  Beforehand, Kathylee Q. organized a school supply list of essential items needed for students for the first day of school.  Three drop-off locations were set up, and items were collected for over a 2-week period.  Members of Stroller Warriors Hawaii donated over $250 worth of school supplies! 
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In August, members from Stroller Warriors Virginia Beach arranged a collection for Chesapeake Preschool Initiative (CPI).  Unlike many first, come first serve preschools- CPI uses an application based preschool program with a focus on a child’s need for preschool involvement using factors such as income, military service, and parent/guardian education for program enrollment.  Workout leaders collected school supplies at weekly events and organized a porch drop-off with Andrea O.  The chapter collected a large pile of goods ranging from backpacks to writing/coloring utensils to tissue. 

​Thank you, Stroller Warriors Pearl Harbor and Virginia Beach, for your helpfulness and generosity which surely helped children on their back-to-school journey! 

I always feel a tad sentimental when it is time to get rid of a pair of running sneakers— there are so many wonderful memories attached!  My memories of my sneakers helped create a silly after school conversation with my kids…if our running sneakers could talk, what would they say? 
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I have been wearing my current pair of trail running sneakers for runs on the beach, for short walks, or just while out and about.  In the last two days the sneakers have been saying “Quack”.  My kids and I had a good laugh as I sounded like a duck while I walked around the base Exchange and Commissary.  These sneakers sounded like they are talking! 

My current road sneakers are in bad shape.  I should replace them pronto!  If these sneakers could talk, they would say, “ouch”.

I remember the pair of running sneakers I wore when I began training for my first marathon— a pair of black, blue and gray Brooks Adrenaline shoes that were a half size too small.  I bought them at the City Sports Basement store at Boston Downtown Crossing in 2010.  I learned the hard way that one should always size up running sneakers when running long distances— I had black toenails after my first long team training run.  Before the next long run, I made my way to a running store and bought some new kicks!  These Brooks would have said, “keep me”.  And that is what I did!  I kept these sneakers for walking and hiking. 

I remember the sneakers I wore after the Chicago Marathon in 2010.  It was a HOT day, and I never had a pair of shoes smell so terrible after a race!  I was getting on an airplane the next morning and there was no way I could salvage the sneakers without contaminating my luggage, so into a recycling bin went my white, silver and blue Saucony Guide 3’s.  These Saucony’s would have said, “Just grab a bottle of Febreeze to cover the stench”.

I remember the sneakers I wore during my first marathon after my first born.  Another unexpectedly HOT race day for Boston in April.  I held onto those silver and pink Saucony Guide 3’s for a while— the pair signified my return to running/fitness after my first child and served as a reminder that I can persevere when things get tough.  Those sneakers would have said something inspirational along the lines of, “if you believe, you can achieve.” 

I remember the sneakers I wore for the 2019 National Women’s Half Marathon in DC.  I just recycled the pair of pink, orange and gray Altra Torins during my last PCS.  The sneakers reminded me of a fun, memorable rainy-day race with my Stroller Warrior friends where a group of us wrapped plastic shopping bags around our sneakers to keep our feet dry before the race began.  These Torins probably said, “thank you.”

I remember my third pair of trail sneakers that I wore when I ran the Jungfrau marathon.  I was so sad when I realized that I had accidentally left them on a shelf in the changing room!  Those black/blue/purple Alta Timps still had many miles to explore!  These sneakers would have screamed, “Wait for me!”
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I know my next pair of running sneakers will come along with me for several incredible journeys and will be well-loved.  Cheers to logging miles!
 
Happy Running,
Rose :)

As military families, there are many hurdles we must conquer— PCS, new schools and sports for the kids, untested routines, the inevitable TDYs, long deployments, etc.  These challenges, admittedly inherent to our lives, are only compounded as recent world-events unfolded—the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. 
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Self-care is imperative during these challenging times as it fuels your inner resiliency.  For me, my first line of self-care includes daily physical activity for at least 30 minutes.  Staying active provides many physical benefits, as well as critical emotional and mental health benefits.  My favorite days are those spent running with my Stroller Warrior friends—I love the community, the company, and the support!  I also thrive when combining physical fitness with family-fun.  Recently, after a long day, my family packed up for an evening at the beach with dinner ready in the cooler…it was a pleasant change from the PCS unpacking/building IKEA furniture routine.  I had zero intention of running, but when we arrived, the kids decided they were no longer hungry and sprinted into the ocean.  My husband suggested I go for a run, and I am so happy I did!  Originally, I only planned on a 20-minute “out and back” along Folly Beach.  This was my first-ever beach run, and I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel.  However, after some adapting to the new sandy terrain, I finally settled into my “running zone” as I paralleled the waves crashing in with the tide, watched families enjoy a coastal sunset, and by making quick stops to gather unique seashells for the kids.  The run was a moment of peace and reflection— it provided some much-needed self-care! 

​Practicing resiliency is not isolated to physical activity, there is much to be gained from self-reflection too.  In addition to 30 minutes of daily exercise for self-care, I handwrite a small journal entry at the end of the day.  I was introduced to this practice while taking a graduate course; the professor challenged everyone in the class to keep a small handwritten daily journal— listing 5 things throughout the day that brought joy.  The professor emphasized the importance of committing to this practice of handwriting in a journal to promote self-care, and as a mechanism to build resiliency.  After 30 days, handwriting in a journal becomes a habit; after 70 days handwriting in a journal creates a pathway to your brain…a pathway to positive thinking.   At first, I thought I would stop keeping my small journal after the initial 30 days.  However, I was wrong…here I am one year later still completing daily entries, all handwritten.  If I am having an off-day, I pivot my thoughts to one of the better moments recorded in my journal.  Additionally, my journal entries often notated my daily exercise. I was continually grateful that I made physical fitness a priority.  I even took my journal entries a step further and began recording my daily exercise routines.  I noticed that I gravitated towards certain strength exercises over others.  These observed exercise patterns resulted in better planned workouts the following day with diversified movements— this drove me to vary my strength training regiment, and it helped me decide when it was time for a bike ride or walk instead of a run. 
 
So, what does my daily entry look like?  Here is an entry from last week:

1). Got my first sip of coffee in the morning while it was still hot. 
2). Squeezed in a 30-minute running-based workout with my youngest kiddo.
3). I had just enough rice to put into school lunches for the kids.
4). Placed a few books in the free library on the street.
5). Chats with friends from around the globe. 
Workout:

• 1.25 mile run (around the neighborhood to the track)
• 5 rounds of:
  • 400 meter run
  • 10 kipping pull ups
• Walk home to cool down

 
I hope these two practices are a welcomed addition to your self-care toolkit! 
 
Happy Running,
Rose 😊

As I was out running with the kids recently, trying to motivate them to trudge through the oppressive South Carolina heat and humidity while dodging mosquitos attacking from the air and red ants from the ground, I had to find a way to distract them.  Alas, I designed a game where we each created a haiku as we craved some water and air-conditioning. 
 
What is a haiku?  A haiku is three-line Japanese poem-- the first line consists of five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the last line five syllables.  Creating a haiku is a fun activity and can be designed on the spot.  Furthermore, it is easy to make up a humorous haiku!

Though my gasps for any available oxygen in the 95% humidity could have likely counted as syllables, I was able to muster some pretty good haikus along with the kids.  Here is one related to running:

Lace up my sneakers
Hit the hot burning pavement
Fartlick to the shade
 
My oldest came up with this:

Went out to scooter
I had two tacos for lunch
Taco burps taste good
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Have you had an experience where your kids (or you) needed something fun as a distraction during a run?  What did you do to overcome a run through adverse conditions, or to help motivate your kids?  Make your own haiku and share! 

Happy Running!
​-Rose