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"Qavah"

4/15/2021

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I started running when I was a Freshman in high school because I was bored and sad. My first “boyfriend” had just dumped me and basketball season had just ended. I was looking ahead at 3 months of no athletics. I was antsy and confused and full of teenage angst. Track practice was just starting and a friend on the distance squad asked me if I wanted to come and try it out. My first run was about 3 miles long, done in old hard court tennis shoes (miserable to run in). It was amazing. The longer I went, the stronger I felt. When I was finished, I felt mentally and emotionally cleansed. I was hooked.

Through the years that followed, Running became an entity in my head and heart. The “r” gained a capital letter status, officially designating Running as a proper noun. Running became my anchor in the midst of chaos, my sanctuary, and something that set my soul on fire.

Fast forward to my adult life as an Army wife…

There’s a word in Hebrew that I feel encompasses much of my emotional state over the past 15 years. I even have it tattooed on my wrist. “Qavah” – to wait, look for, hope, expect. Passionate patience. I have waited and hoped through 11 combat deployments over the years.  It became my habit to sign up and train for a marathon during his time away. I needed the physical intensity and cleansing power of Running to help quell my anxiety and fear, but it also became a tangible way for me to qavah. I could physically chase my running goals while my heart looked for my husband's return home. 

Even though I had the experience of 10 previous deployments under my belt, our first deployment as the parents of 2 young children introduced new anxieties and fears. When my husband left, our daughter was 4 and our son had just turned 1. I was intimate with my BOB Duallie by then, but I couldn’t see how I could continue my tradition of running a deployment marathon.

About a month into the deployment, I felt mentally adrift. I looked at the calendar and the months ahead looked like an endless march of minutes and hours to survive. Just survive.

Enter Providence. During a Stroller Warriors run, I learned that most of my running tribe was set to run the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I remember thinking “Maybe? Could I really figure this out?” Buoyed by a sense of community and support, it felt possible in that moment to train for and run the MCM that year. It felt possible to fulfill my need for a physical challenge to anchor the intangible, passionate pursuit in my heart.
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Interval training running with SW Fort Belvoir on Mount Vernon Trail.

​I registered. I wrote out my training schedule.  It definitely wasn’t always easy. Sometimes it was downright miserable. There were days when I questioned why I was doing it. There were nighttime long runs on the treadmill when the kids were sick, stepping on at 10pm after they finally went to sleep and finishing at midnight. The first time I ran 15 miles with the Duallie, I nearly gave up on the whole idea. It was humid, the kids were raging by mile 11 and my body felt like it was giving out. But I had 2 Running Angels with me, who, refusing to hear any argument from me, took the drenched stroller from my sweaty hands, and gave me time to recover my senses and determination. I was so blessed during the training cycle – I had an entire group of Stroller Warriors who did incredible things to help me, though each and every one would insist that it was nothing. They took the Duallie on hills, and stayed back with me when I lagged. They talked me through the inevitable melt downs of my two stroller-bound training partners, and even stayed with the kids at a playground so I could finish out the last few miles of the longest long runs stroller free. These women will never know how much they helped me, and how much they gave me what I needed.

The rhythm of the training cycle brought back the sense of focus I had been lacking through the first weeks of the deployment, and I found that I was able to do more than just survive. The Saturday morning long runs became special events for the kids and me, my daughter in particular. She would go to bed Friday night and ask if we were getting up early to “run in the night with the running ladies.”  Two and half years later, she still talks about those runs and how she misses them. 

The final Saturday long run of the cycle was a 22 mile haul. The kids heroically endured 16 miles in the stroller before escaping to the playground with an absolutely amazing fellow Warrior. As I finished that last long run, I full felt the impact of what we had accomplished.  I buckled the kids in their car seats as I felt a sob building in my chest. I turned and looked at my daughter and choked out “Thank you. Thank you for doing this with me. It means so much to me.” She, of course, didn’t quite understand my intense emotions, but replied “You’re welcome Mommy. Don’t cry, it’s ok.” 

​Because of a carefully scheduled R & R, my husband was able to be at the marathon and, as is his habit, he positioned himself and the kids exactly where I needed them most on race day.

The last mile building up to the iconic finish of the MCM is lonely – no fanfare, no shade…just a straight road that seems endless. Something to survive. That is where I saw them, waiting for me on the side of the road with the beloved Duallie, and my Soul leaped. Everything that we had pushed through, the miles, the sweat, the tears, all the minutes and hours spent waiting, hoping, pursuing…it all built to that moment. I ran to my little family, my whole world, knowing that passionate patience is not to sit by passively, idly counting seconds. It is to qavah, to actively strive toward the goal of my heart, pursuing that which sets my Soul on fire. 

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Jamie D.  is a 23 year running veteran with 3 children (ages 7, 4 and 3 months) and has been a member of Stroller Warriors ® Fort Belvoir for 6 years- volunteering as a workout leader and leading weekly speed workouts on the track.  
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Global Outreach- Operation: Care and Comfort

4/8/2021

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Stroller Warriors® is a dynamic organization—composed of military spouses and their families with a strong focus on running, building friendships and a support network, along with a strong emphasis on community outreach helping both the military and civilian communities. All Stroller Warriors chapters organize community outreach projects which aid local community organizations near the chapter’s base.  On top of this Stroller Warriors Global coordinates four larger community outreach events throughout the year with all chapters taking part in working towards a singular cause.   

​For the Month of March, Stroller Warriors hosted a month long Global Outreach Event supporting Operation: Care and Comfort (www.occ-usa.org). Operation: Care and Comfort was established in April 2003 when the three co-founders decided to combine their efforts to support military troops stationed in combat zones overseas. Since their start, they have grown exponentially thanks to the outpouring support from fellow Americans.

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Writing letters, mailing care packages, hosting welcome home events, and showing support to a deployed service member or veteran’s family are a few of the activities organized by Operation: Care and Comfort.  Currently, the organization supports multiple military units in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflict areas. Service members in these areas receive multiple care packages filled with non-perishable food items, toiletries, letters of appreciation and well wishes, gift cards for phone services to call home, and a simple DVD or CD for entertainment.  One of the most unique aspects is that these units and service members are “adopted” by Operation: Care and Comfort throughout their entire time away. This simple gesture shows appreciation towards each service member and supplies them with much needed items.  Along with care packages, Operation: Care and Comfort aids military families in need through the “Adopt a Military” program—which allows civilian families, and organizations to help with a one-time assistance with anything from utilities, groceries, gasoline for a car, or a gift for a child. Additionally, Operation: Care and Comfort also works with professional and college sports teams, entertainment venues, and promoters to send thousands of troops, reservists, veterans and their immediate families to events at a discount or even for free! Their “Tickets for Troops” program is a fantastic way for military families to experience a fun family filled day in California
​Our Stroller Warriors chapters went above and beyond sharing information about Operation: Care and Comfort, running miles, creating cards, writing letters, and donating non-perishable items for care packages. Please check out the amazing work below:

Stroller Warriors Cherry Point, North Carolina held a dedication run on March 12th. Runners logged miles at the in-person meet up, but also encouraged virtual participation for those who were unable to attend. Together the chapter logged 39.55 miles.

Stroller Warriors 29 Palms, California dedicated miles and collectively ran 738 miles
Stroller Warriors Kanehoe Bay, Hawaii dedicated miles to Operation: Care and Comfort. Members made sure to post selfies and use the hashtag, #swsupportsoccusa. Collectively members ran a total of 728.94 miles!

Stroller Warriors Okinawa, Japan held multiple events with several ways to support Operation: Care and Comfort-- members donated 37 non-perishable items for care packages, mini warriors created cards and letters, organized a card making station at the C25K grad race on March 27th, and dedicated mileage with 548.72 miles logged. 
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Stroller Warriors Oak Harbor, Washington held a month-long donation drive collecting items for care packages and were able to send out two full boxes of items!

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Thank you, Stroller Warriors, for your wonderful support! We are so proud of you!
 
Happy Running! 
-Mollie M.
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Mollie M. has been a member of Stroller Warriors for about 7 years. She has run and volunteered with Stroller Warriors® Camp Lejeune, Stroller Warriors Fort Belvoir, Stroller Warriors Elsewhere, and Stroller Warriors Okinawa. Mollie is currently one of the Chapter Coordinators for Stroller Warriors Okinawa and works with the Stroller Warriors® Global Page team. She currently posts the Wednesday Warrior Workouts and coordinates the monthly Global Outreach Events throughout the year. 
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Founding Stories: Stroller Warriors® Luke

4/1/2021

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By Annette G.

In 2015 after 13 months apart due to a deployment my family was reunited and moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida. Not long after arriving I met a group of mothers at the park working out, one of them invited me to come and check out this new group that was starting soon, Stroller Warriors®. At first, I was hesitant to go as I’d never considered myself a runner. I liked to workout, did gymnastics, played team sports in Australia growing up and even completed a few sprint triathlons but I still never said I was a runner. With encouragement from my husband (who is the runner) I went to the inaugural workout and I never looked back. Not long after that I was given the wonderful opportunity of being a coordinator for the chapter a position I held for almost 2 years. As life changed, I was then a part of Stroller Warriors® Team Elsewhere chapter.
 
Then we got the news that we were headed to desert to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Of course the first thing I did was to see if there was a Stroller Warriors chapter. Sadly I found there wasn’t. After multiple friends asked when I would be starting a chapter when I moved, I started to look into it. Upon arriving to Luke I found that this in fact was a great place to start a chapter and so Stroller Warriors® Luke begins.
 
Our inaugural workout was held on October 11, 2018 and we had a fantastic turnout. The temperatures in Arizona had finally cooled down and everyone was ready to get back outside again. From there the word got out and the chapter continued to grow. On base we had a ½ mile track that was right next to a brand new park which was a perfect meeting point to start our runs and finish with a workout while the kids played. Unfortunately the track was just compacted dirt so if there had been any rain then we were unable to use it. After many discussions and talking to the right people we arrived one morning to see the track was being paved!!! We’d done it, we’d been seen, we’d been noticed and the base leadership was helping us and the rest of the community out. We and others could now use the track year round!
Since our first workout SW Luke has been having lots of fun. We did Warrior Night Out at Topgolf  while also participating in many local runs. Some of our favorites have been the Donut Run (kids loved the donuts every mile along the course), Mimosa Run with yummy adult drinks at the end and of course Honor the Brave Run was always a must to attend. We’ve had No Run Fun Days at the splash pad and the kids favorite Krispy Kremes.
When the weather became too hot for us to be outside we moved our weekly workouts indoors. We did weights, cardio, yoga and strength training workouts.
Last year we had 2 big events happen for the chapter. We did our first Couch 2 5k. Our graduates did a fantastic job in trusting the plan and completing their 5k graduation race. All with smiles too. We had many of the other members come out and cheer them along and support them. Well done Warriors!
Secondly, we were generously gifted a double BOB stroller which we were able to give away in the Gift of BOB event. We had many deserving members nominated and a very grateful winner too.
We have also been able to set up a loaner stroller program. We were donated a single running stroller that now our members who don’t have a running stroller can borrow and join us for runs and workouts.
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Although COVID stopped us in our tracks and put a hold on in person workouts that hasn’t stops us from keeping active and still connecting online with each other. We have been doing monthly challenges and with our 2 year Runniversary coming up we will be doing a virtual celebration run together.
 
A few months ago I was approached by one of our members who has been there since our inaugural workout and she told me that had it not been for SW Luke she would never have become a runner or met so people as she has. She would still be a shy, new military spouse, first time Mom (but has 2 children now) and never come out of her shell. SW and all its members did that for her. In that moment I realized that I succeeded in what SW is all about and am so happy I decided to start this chapter.
 
It’s been a busy, fun, goal reaching 2 years for SW Luke! Here is to many more. Keep it up Warriors. You never know who out there you may be inspiring. You inspire me every day!
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