​This week the spotlight is shining on the new Coordinator of Stroller Warriors Yokosuka, Melissa H! Stroller Warriors appears to run in the family as Melissa first learned about Stroller Warriors through her sister, Melanie F., who was a member of Stroller Warriors New Orleans. Sisters share everything, right?  Now they both share in the bond and encouragement that Stroller Warriors represents.
 
Melissa is a mother to four and has been living the Navy life with her husband, Steve. Moving to Japan has presented some unique challenges for the family as they took only their youngest three children with them. Melissa left her oldest step-son home while he prepares for boot camp. I think most of us can relate to the idea of seeing a child leave our reach…stressed and worried sick, but also proud to see them sprout and use all that great advice we gave them growing up…wink, wink.  

​Growing up Melissa played a large number of sports including softball, field hockey, swimming and cheerleading. She says she played them all moderately well, but nothing ever really stuck other than swimming. Melissa is an accomplished swimmer and it seems to run in the family, as her daughters are all Champion swimmers.
 
After high school, as many of us do, we leave the figurative field and life keeps us busy with other things. Melissa became sedentary and did not attempt running again until after the birth of her first daughter. Again, it just didn’t stick. “My perception was that running was hard! I had only run as conditioning for all the other sports I played, never just to run!” Then, gradually, a new relationship with running developed.

​More recently with Stroller Warriors as a huge motivating factor, Melissa made it through her latest PCS with a consistent running plan. She was tempted to stop running, with an excuse we all deserve to use…the great PCS that takes up every ounce of energy and then some. “Stroller Warriors has been monumental for me during this move. Without being involved with Stroller Warriors, I would have stopped running during this PCS like I always did before.” Melissa has experienced firsthand the power of support and encouragement to help her get a foot out the door. She has also learned the mileage doesn’t have to be high to keep you motivated and moving. “I am recovering from a knee injury, and even though I can’t run long and fast right now, SW has made me get out there for those two and three mile runs, which I wouldn’t have done without the club. SW has helped me realize that I don’t need to put myself on the ‘back burner’ while settling in to a new place. That is probably my biggest running accomplishment to date…not stopping this time! I always hate how hard it is to come back from a break, and I have been known to take breaks of six months to a year! So to have logged some miles, even though not many, during this move, is huge for me! Way more of an accomplishment than any race distance I completed. I even ran while we were still at the Navy Lodge! SW has also helped me meet people, and get outside in the colder weather that I am not used to coming from San Diego!"
 
Stroller Warriors is also filling a gap in Melissa's life, as she will likely not be able to work while in Yokosuka. "I am a Registered Nurse, and have worked in the ICU my whole career, minus the last seven months in San Diego where I focused on cardiology.  There is no cardiology clinic here in Yokosuka, and my ICU expertise is in open heart surgery recovery, which they do not do here." Taking on coordination of the Yokosuka chapter gives Melissa an opportunity to give back to the club that she loves dearly, and will allow her to have the amazing impact on other Stroller Warriors that she has experienced firsthand.

​Melissa's advice for a new spouse is to be flexible and roll with the seasons.  "The path my life has taken to get to where I am now has definitely not been a straight line, and in fact looks more like the scribbling of a toddler! So stick with it! It has ups and downs, but everything will work itself out! And wine. Use it, it helps."
 
We’re so excited for your new adventure, Melissa, and we can’t to see your chapter blossom! 

When I think of Stroller Warriors, I think of friendship, family, team work, and all around happiness. I will readily admit that numbers are not the first thing on my mind, because we're so much more than a number can encompass. However, the numbers can add to the story too and help us define the direction we're going. For that reason, every winter our headquarters staff and chapter coordinators work together to compile a list of accomplishments as a team for the entire year. Whenever we compile these lists, we are surprised by the sheer magnitude of the story that the numbers tell. It is awespiring. Without further delay, we are excited to present to you:

Stroller Warriors Running Club by the Numbers in 2015!                                                                   ​
196,250: Miles completed for our "Run the World" mileage tracking campaign
33,145: Dollars donated to numerous organizations around the world
10,737: Total members listed on our chapter pages
5,058: Likes on our fan page
2,929: Household items and supplies donated to the Tripler Fisher House
1,107: Pairs of shoes donated for the Soles for Souls shoe drives
406: Pounds of food donated to food banks and Operation Gratitude
404: Members who graduated the Couch to 5K program
361: Run the World finishers at 24 chapters and including 15 global finishers
307: Total leadership and volunteer staff worldwide
228: Volunteer staff
145: Cans donated to the ASYMCA food drive and other food banks
137: Toys donated to Toys for Tots
135: Mini Miles finishers at 7 chapters
92: Couch to Crazy finishers at 6 chapters
88: Members who graduated the Bridge to 10K program
87: Meal trains for Stroller Warriors or local residents in need
82: Try to Tri race finishers at 2 chapters
64: Chapter coordinators
58: Pounds of stocking stuffers for Operation Christmas Stocking
52: Chapters we visited (and revisited!) on our "Run the World" relay
37: Rounds of Couch to 5K offered at 19 chapters
28: Active Stroller Warriors chapters at year-end
27:  Coats and blankets collected for a women's shelter
13: Rounds of Bridge to 10K offered at 12 chapters
12: Free race registrations donated to Stroller Warriors
11: Soles for Souls shoe drives
10:  Mini Try to Tri race finishers
9: Chapters added this year
8: B.O.B. running strollers at 4 chapters given to deserving Stroller Warriors in need
8: Global staff members
7: Headquarters leaders
7: Baskets for an assisted living facility
6: Meals served to people at the USO, Food for Life, and the Tripler Fisher House
6: Toys for Tots drives
4: RAGNAR teams at 3 chapters
4: Races that chapters supported with volunteers on the course
3: Try to Tri Sprint Triathlons at 2 chapters
3: Blood drives
2: Loads of clothing and supplies donated to the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital
2: Mini Warriors 5K races
2: Marathon relay teams
2: Wreaths Across America volunteer events
2: Clothing swaps to support Stroller Warriors membership
1: Veteran’s Day parade entry
1: Have to Half marathon race
1: Mini Warriors triathlon
Priceless: Immeasurable gifts that our members give to the surrounding community and to each other every day

​Oh Military living, and how used to acronyms we get! In case you were confused by the title, this blog is going to teach you how to make a skirt from military cami pants for a Stroller Warriors Physical Fitness Test (PFT). If you're a seasoned Warrior, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about.

Keep reading to learn the history of the Stroller Warriors PFT, as well as, learn how to make your own cute skirt!

Way back in the day our Fearless Founder, Stephanie Geraghty, was looking for a way to measure our improvement as runners and athletes. After much thought and deliberation she settled on the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test. Why the Marine Corps PFT instead of the Air Force, Navy, Army or Coast Guard PFT? Because the Marine Corps PFT has the longest running distance (3 miles), and we are after all a running club! We don’t switch around between PFTs (Marine Corp one time, Air Force the next, etc), because if the unit of measure is always changing, how would you be able to tell if you are making progress?

The Stroller Warrior PFT mirrors the Marine Corps PFT and consists of a 3 mile run, 2 minutes of sit- ups, and a flex arm hang or max pull-ups. In true SW fashion, our PFT is more about FUN and fitness than anything else! We encourage dressing up to represent your branch of the military or in patriotic gear. We even dress the kids up! We give prizes for best dressed, not best PFT score.

This blog post is dedicated to those of you who own a sewing machine and would love to try an easy way to spice up your decorative SW PFT gear. 

What you need:
A sewing machine
Sewing scissors or a rotary cutter
A ruler
An old pair of cami pants (these can be donated by your husband or a friend’s husband or found at the thrift store).

​Step 1.

Measure and mark your pants where you want to cut them. Cut them somewhere that is below the fly and above the crotch. Make sure your line is even and not crooked. Cut through all layers (even the pockets).

Step 2.

Use the pant legs to cut strips for the ruffle of the skirt. You’ll want to measure the widest part you can make it (at the ankle of the pants) and then cut it as long as you can. After you cut you should have two identical strips (from the front and back of the pants). I was able to get two strips from each pant leg (4 strips total) of 7inches by 22 inches. 

I decided to only use 3 of the strips to get the amount of ruffle I wanted.

NOTE: Some military cami pants have certain sections reinforced due to high wear. Or they have sections with interesting pockets. You can cut off any extra fabric you don't need to make it one piece of fabric. In my opinion extra seams just add more character to your creation! See an example of what I'm talking about below.

Step 3.

Iron these strips to make sure they are flat.

Step 4.
Place them right sides together and sew with a .5 seam allowance along the short side. Zig zag or serge the sewn end. Keep placing strips right sides together and sew the short sides together until all strips are sewn together. Then sew the two ends, right sides together to make a circle.

Step 5.

Iron the seams flat. Iron a hem on one side of the circle. You’ll do this by folding up ½ inch and ironing, then fold up again ½ an inch and ironing.

Step 6.

Sew the hem using a straight stitch. Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your stitching in order to lock your stitches in place.

Step 7.

Baste (sew with your longest stitch) two rows of stitches on the other side that isn’t hemmed. Make sure to leave long tails at the beginning and end of the stitching. Do NOT back stitch!

Set aside for later

Step 8.

Get the top part of the pants you cut. By cutting above the crotch you should have also cut some of the pockets off. We are going to sew the pockets closed. If you own a serger you can serge the bottoms of the pockets to re close them. If you don’t have a serger do a straight stitch and then a zig zag stitch to close the pockets (and make them useable again. Yay!).

Step 9.

Take the circle fabric from step 7 and turn it inside out so you can put right sides of the cami pants top and circle fabric together.

Step 10.

Match up side seams and pin together.

Step 11.
Pull threads of gathered basting stiches to make the hemmed part ruffle become the same size as the top of the pants.

Step 12.
Pin in place

Step 13.
Sew with a .5 seam allowance around the entire edge of the skirt. Make sure not to sew the pockets to the skirt. They can float freely on their own.

Step 14.
Zig zag or serge around the same seam you just sewed.

Step 15.
Iron the hem up. Top stitch all of the way around.

Step 16.
You’re done! Wear your new skirt with pride!