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 😊