​​I am no stranger to bird encounters at close-range— a flock of pigeons in Boston Common once orchestrated a carefully-planned mission to swoop closely overhead in the hopes of snagging my bag of chips, or one time when a brave sea gull at Revere Beach tried to peck my Kelly’s Roast Beef sandwich in hopes of getting a free meal.  Bird encounters rarely phase me as they happen fairly regularly for me.  However, there is one bird incident that almost resulted in a 5K PR while I was pregnant with our first child.
 
Rewind to 2011— my husband and I just arrived at our base in Montana with no time for the two us to explore the lay of the land together.  At the time, I was 20 weeks pregnant and eager to make friends.  What better way to familiarize myself with the base and local area than to go for a run!  I looked at the base map and planned a route from our TLF unit, around the flight line, and over to base housing with the hopes of making a friend or two along the way.  A friend I made indeed— not another military spouse or local Montanan, but a magpie!  Yes, a bird! 
 
Picture this— running on a cool spring afternoon under the vast bright-blue Montana sky that seemed limitless, the beautiful Little Belt Mountains off on the horizon, and the golden rolling plains to my left sloping down to the swift and powerful Missouri River.  I tweaked my running pace to adjust to Montana’s higher elevation and dry mountain air, which was quite different than the humid, sea level environment we just left in Maryland.  Running and enjoying the beauty of my new home on the nation’s Northern Tier was magical and I was on cloud 9.  Enter the magpie…tweet tweet. 
 
As I turned into base housing- 1.5 miles into my run, I noticed a magpie flying almost directly above me and moving at the same pace.  I would move to the left and so would the magpie, back to the right and so would the magpie. Here I was, zigzagging down the street unable to break free from the magpie.  I felt myself picking up the pace hoping the bird would move on, but it was to no avail.  I finally decided to wave my arm in the air.  I know how to handle the birds in the Boston area- sparrows, sea gulls, pigeons- a big wave of the hand and they fly away!  Not this magpie!  Instead of flying away, this bird decided to fly closely overhead, circling around and diving down at me.  I got nervous.  I ran faster and faster, letting out shrieks as the bird would dive down within inches of my head.  At one point I made an abrupt stop and the magpie circled around and flying up and down.  My planned running route had gone awry.  I had no idea where I was and just wanted to make it back to the TLF un-pecked.  I turned onto a road in the abandoned area of base housing, and low and behold there was a massive pine tree! I quickly made my way towards the pine tree, running underneath the sprawling branches, when POOF— the bird flew right into a giant mass of pine needles.   I stopped my watch, looked up in the tree, and there was the magpie chilling on a branch.  I continued my run, making my way back to the base TLF, and feeling immense relief that my feathered running partner decided to cut it short.  

​Last week, Stroller Warriors® Charleston organized a brilliant Couch to 5K and Spring Kick-off event— collaborating with the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) whose liaisons arranged a post-run story time event for our mini warriors.  It was a beautiful, yet chilly March morning, and after a 30-minute run, the kids grabbed a snack and cozied up on beach towels sprawled across the grass to listen to the book Courage by Bernard Waber.  
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There exists a constant for military families— change.  Thriving whilst experiencing change with deployments, TDYs, PCS season (whether you are the person staying or leaving); this requires some level of courage.  Merriam Webster tells us that courage is, “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”.  So, what does courage look like within our Stroller Warriors community?
 
Courage is--

• Seeing a social media post about Stroller Warriors on the base spouse’s page and requesting to join.
• Putting yourself out there by attending a Stroller Warriors event for the very first time.
• Taking the first step on a running journey— be it your first ever run, first run post-partum, first run post injury, or first run after a long hiatus. 
• Choosing to push through the uncomfortable aspects of running. 
• Being vulnerable— leaning in and asking your Stroller Warriors community for support and advice concerning military life, running, parenting, etc.
• Giving yourself grace when you have a not so good running day. 
• Realizing it is necessary to take a running break to prevent an injury.
• Trying a new style of running— tackling hill repeats, speed work, etc. 
• Registering for your first race.
• Working towards and committing to a running goal.
• Making the choice to put in 100%— leaving it all on the line and never giving up. 

 
This list of courage is continuous.  When experiencing the oh so difficult aspects of military life, look back and remember the moments within your Stroller Warriors community when you chose to be courageous and let it guide you.  

​Stroller Warriors® has been a part of my life now for almost 10 years! I first heard about this running club while at 29 Palms California. We moved there in the summer of 2013 with a 2-year-old, and I was around 30 weeks pregnant. I met someone at a playground who also had a boy close in age. After finding out I liked to run, she mentioned that a running club was starting up on base! SW29 started that November, and I attended my first workout shortly thereafter. I was in a new place with a toddler and a newborn, so having this running club start-up was perfect timing! 

​If you have ever been to 29 Palms, you know there's not a whole lot to do in the desert. However, I will say, 29 Palms holds a special place in my heart, and it is all because of Stroller Warriors. I have been running pretty much my whole life as I participated in track and cross-country throughout middle school. But I never really loved to run, it was just a way to get exercise. That all changed once I found how fun running could be with the right people running alongside me! SW29 pushed me to do things I never thought I would do, like running a marathon and participating in the SW’s hosted Triathlon. I became a workout leader for SW29 in March of 2014. Little did I know our family's life was about to get some unwelcome news. That same month my husband was sent to Balboa Medical Center where he was diagnosed with colon cancer at 29 years old. I still remember soon after finding out, going on a long weekend run with four other Stroller Warriors-- even though I had not known them for long, I felt their love and support as I told them what we were going through. The military was willing to move us to be closer to Balboa since my husband needed chemo treatments every 2 weeks for 6 months. But the support we had from SW29, as well as his unit, made it an easy decision for us to stay and make the drive. The founder and current coordinator at SW29, Megan, wanted to help in any way possible. Of course, the chapter quickly organized and supplied a meal train for us. But Megan went a step further and wanted to fundraise for us too. Our family felt so supported already, so we asked that the fundraising efforts be donated to the San Diego Fisher House where I was staying with our 3-year-old and 7-month-old during my husband's treatments. If you are unfamiliar with the Fisher House, it is a nonprofit that offers free lodging as “a ‘home away from home’ for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.” That October, the chapter ended up raising over $2,600 and the members ran a total of 20 miles around the desert! 

​I was then a chapter coordinator at 29 Palms from May 2015 until June 2016. That summer, we had orders to Quantico which had no SW chapter.  However, luckily in October, Kelly opened a chapter! And while Kelly will joke that it took her forever to get me on her team, I came on the Headquarters team as a regional mentor in November of that year, and as a co-coordinator in Quantico a month later in December. I could not imagine my life without this club, and I wanted to try and give back as much as this club has given to me and my family. I am now stationed in Kaneohe Bay where I have been coordinating since December of 2019. 

At this point, I absolutely love to run and do not necessarily need Stroller Warriors to get in my runs. But I keep coming back, even at this point when all our kids are now out of strollers and in school because Stroller Warriors is SO much more than just a running club. I am thankful for this club, which has given me lifelong friends even through this crazy military life. It is not just a group of runners, but a group of friends, who motivate and support you through life. It is an amazing example to our kids as it shows our hard work and that you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. All three of our boys have grown up with Stroller Warriors. It is where they met their first friends, and it is always the first thing we look for and become involved with when we move to a new duty station. They all started in the stroller, graduated to riding alongside the stroller on their bikes, to even running with us! Our oldest, who is now almost 12, ran his first half marathon last year on his 11th birthday. He continues to amaze us with his running ambitions. Our middle, 9-year-old, ran multiple base 5ks here on the island and always surprises us when he ends up wanting to race and give it his all! Our youngest, who is 6, helped with training runs when my husband was out-of-town and is up to 6 miles on his bike. All three look forward to mini miles each summer and pushing themselves because they see the importance of being active and realize how much fun running can be! I cannot say enough about this wonderful club. It is a huge part of our life and that is why I continue to volunteer!

​Community outreach is an important aspect of the Stroller Warriors® mission.  Our chapters continue to coordinate and participate in outreach projects that benefit the community at large.  At the onset of 2023, several of our chapters hit the ground running with the community outreach initiatives:
 
Stroller Warriors Kaneohe Bay organized a shoe collection of gently used shoes for Runners HI— accepting any style of shoes, but specifically running shoes.  Runners HI will then distribute the shoes to those in need! Over a duration of 12 days, the SW leadership collected the shoes at scheduled workouts, or members could donate through a shoe drop option at a chapter coordinator’s home.  The goal was to collect 50 pairs of shoes and the chapter far exceeded their goal with 125 pairs of shoes.  Stroller Warriors Kaneohe Bay also continued with their monthly beach clean-up initiative.  On the last Monday of each month, members gather at Fort Hase Beach for a beach sweep— dedicating an hour each month to collect microplastics and garbage at one of their favorite locations on base.  Prior to beach clean-ups, the chapter leadership team provides gloves, bags, buckets and sifters.  

​Stroller Warriors Charleston kept busy spreading the word about Stroller Warriors and our dynamic and uplifting community.  In January, the leadership team collaborated with a JB Charleston Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) at a new spouse’s welcome coffee event at the Naval Weapons Station.  Not only did the leadership speak about the Stroller Warriors community’s love and support, but they showed the group the unique aspects of Stroller Warriors by leading a dynamic stretch, organizing a small art activity by decorating lunch sacks, and by partaking in a community outreach initiative by filling the bags with snacks for the Low Country Blessing Box Project.  Additionally, the Military and Family Readiness Center (MFRC) invited Stroller Warriors Charleston to speak and organize a resource table at the Loved Ones All-Call hosted by the 437 AW/OG in preparation for upcoming deployments.  The chapter ended the month with a donation drive for the Charleston Fisher House— collecting a shopping cart filled with paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, cleaning supplies and snacks. 
 
Stroller Warriors Fort Belvoir encouraged members to get moving through a month-long February Movement Challenge to raise awareness for Stop Soldiers Suicide.  The mission of Stop Soldiers Suicide is simple, yet profound— to stop soldier suicide in all branches.  SW leadership raised awareness of Stop Soldiers Suicide by urging participants to work together to achieve a 60-mile movement goal during February.  They surpassed their 60-mile chapter goal and logged 417.53 miles!  If you or someone you know has thought about suicide, please reach out for help.  A 24/7 help line is available at 844-613-0403.
 
Thank you, Stroller Warriors, for your continued commitment to service!  You are what makes this world a brighter place— one community outreach event at a time!