​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!