By Katie P.

Stroller Warriors® Iwakuni was born long before I arrived in Japan.  

May 2014, Yuma, Arizona.
I was 35 weeks pregnant with my third child and my twins were about to turn two. I was living in a bubble, mostly at home, surviving with two toddlers and my double BOB stroller, rarely venturing more than a few miles from home and I hadn’t run since my 18th week of pregnancy. I discovered a Stroller Warriors Yuma chapter was founded in January while I was living under my chaotic rock. I joined the Facebook page and promptly received a welcome response explaining they were about to start Summer break because it’s too hot for workouts in the Yuma Summer. As any mom of multiple toddlers with a baby on the way desperate for adult contact would do, I attended the last Spring workout. I didn’t know anyone, I hadn’t run in months, and I wasn’t exactly on the top of my self-esteem game. “Welcome!” “We’re so glad you came!” “Wow, 35 weeks? You look fantastic!” Other military spouses with littles had goals for 5Ks to marathons and we talked about mom life, military life, and our lives. I felt like I had found my people!

I went home and told my husband I needed to get a triple stroller or put our twins in daycare so I could run with these girls. He humored my triple stroller search. If you’re wondering, BOB hasn’t made them in years, and the only used triples I could find were upwards of $800 in San Diego. Six months later, I put my twins in preschool on workout days and hit the ground running. Yes, I scheduled preschool around running. In those first few months, I learned a lot of things. Becoming a mom is amazing, gratifying, and life altering. It also exhausting, humbling, and isolating. From my first workout, I found encouragement from fellow members, and within a few weeks I knew at least one person was counting on me to be at workouts. Even if I didn’t feel like running, I had to show up because my friends were there, and that might well be the only adult interaction I had all week! Stroller Warriors reminded me that I can do something for myself, set goals, and push myself to achieve something I didn’t realize I still needed so badly.

My new support system encouraged me to train for and run my first half marathon since having kids, and they encouraged me to set a goal beyond what I ever would have set for myself. I had been running for 30 years playing soccer and other sports, and it took Stroller Warriors before I began calling myself a runner. For the first time since having kids I was making real connections with other like-minded parents. In this crazy military world where we’re often single parenting for weeks or months at a time, these friendships are golden. While I was discovering a new world, I also had the opportunity to see women grow around me as runners and moms, wives and friends. I saw confidence build in moms who had never run a 5K, and then I watched them finish 10Ks and half marathons. I watched moms riddled with injury get the support and encouragement they needed to get stronger and work to become healthier for themselves and their children.

I spent two years running with Stroller Warriors Yuma. When my husband received our expected OCONUS orders to Iwakuni, Japan, it hit me I had to leave my incredible support system. I didn’t know the inner workings of Stroller Warriors and looked to our Chapter Coordinator, Susanna, for information about a chapter in Iwakuni. I was bummed when she told me there wasn’t one; however, she suggested I start one. We received our orders a full 6 months out, so I had plenty of time to mull this idea over while I mourned the expected loss of my best friends. The friends who watched my baby so I could get a run in, who came home on a lunch break to run with me and push one of my kids in a stroller (because I never did buy a triple!), who babysat for me during dental appointments, and came to the rescue and watched my kids while my sweet old kitty was put down. When you find your sole sisters, they become more than just running buddies.

December 2016, Iwakuni, Japan.
I was cold the moment I stepped off the plane. Four years of 120 degree summers and 75 degree winters will acclimate a girl to warm weather. MCAS Iwakuni was a construction zone and the only place that looked safe for me to run with my 2 year old in tow was the seawall, which was closed except for a half mile stretch. Iwakuni is not the big city Japan you see on TV – it’s an old town with old bumpy sidewalks and tight tiny roads and back alleys. It also has a small town charm that will make you fall in love with suburban-ish Japan. 

I did not want to go running. It was cold. Sub-30 in the mornings. It rained. A lot. My husband kicked me out the door at 5am anyway. “You’ll be happier,” he’d say! I ran alone, and then I connected with an old friend from Yuma who showed me some longer run routes off base, and showed me where she ran with her stroller. We got lost and found incredible views of the ocean from atop hills and hidden shrines tucked into the mountainside. I discovered the lotus fields, the Japanese seawall, the Kintai bridge path, and an entrance to the seawall that would suffice for a stroller. I seeked out runners on base and learned there was a previous stroller group that had disbanded some time before I arrived. I met some of the members and a leader, who shared some great routes with me, including one that became a member favorite known as the ‘pickle path’ because of the green pickle shaped signs that indicate a crosswalk. I wore Stroller Warriors shirts when I went to the commissary and the exchange, in hopes I’d find others who had run with a chapter elsewhere. I met at least one incredible friend this way, as she was also strategically wearing a SW sweatshirt in hopes of making a new friend as well. When I applied to start the chapter, I’d found exactly 6 spouses who wanted to run with Stroller Warriors. I knew they’d be at our inaugural workout. That was all the motivation I needed to get us going. I didn’t expect them to show up with their 40 closest friends and what seemed like at least 50 kids!

Membership in Iwakuni is easy. Volunteers and motivators are plentiful. We explored Iwakuni on foot together. We found hidden shrines and a dozen routes to Iwakuni’s famous Kintai Bridge. By the end of our first year, we had 30 members competing in the Kintai half marathon or 10K, the only local annual race. An annual relay race held by the city and MCAS Iwakuni started up and we put together multiple teams of 4-10 to compete in costumes among the locals. Stroller Warriors Iwakuni may have been born in Yuma, AZ, but it has always belonged in Iwakuni. My personal experience with Stroller Warriors has become a similar experience for dozens of other military spouses living overseas stationed at MCAS Iwakuni. I left Stroller Warriors Iwakuni in the trusted hands of Mallory, who I met wearing a Stroller Warriors sweatshirt in the commissary. Soon, Mallory will pass the torch to a new leader who will continue to share a passion while providing a place for spouses to find encouragement, support, and motivation.

Thank you so much Katie for sharing your founding story with us! We are so grateful that you chose to dedicate your time and talents to founding Stroller Warriors Iwakuni, thus leaving your duty station a better place for future military spouses to PCS to! 

If you’re a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at Paige.swglobal@gmail.com! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.

by: Kelly

I feel like I should start off this blog with an apology. I’m sorry for getting this to you so late! Stroller Warriors Coordinators around the world keep track of how awesome their club is and send all of this data in to us at SWHQ. One of my jobs is to compile all of this data into a wonderful snapshot for you all to see just how INCREDIBLE our worldwide team is!
 
This year, my family PCSd to Okinawa, Japan and in the midst of the packers and chaos of an overseas move, the data for SW by the Numbers got put down and didn’t get picked back up until now.

However, that doesn’t change how amazing our club is, nor does it negate any of the positive work we do around the world. My motto has always been, that it is better late than never! Whenever we compile these lists, we are always surprised by the sheer magnitude of the story that the numbers tell. It is absolutely inspiring! So here we are without further ado, we excitedly present to you:  
 
Stroller Warriors Running Club by the numbers for 2018!
5 Chapters held a Gift of Garmin
9 Sessions of Bridge to 10K (B210K) with a total of 50 graduates
9 Gift of BOB
9 Chapters have Stroller Loaner Programs
11 Chapters participated in Wreaths Across America
13 Bags of trash picked up through plogging Events
14 Chapters participated in team Relays with their chapter including: Ragnar Relays, Round the Bay Relay, Wolfson Children’s Hospital Relay, Big Sur Marathon Relay, Iwakuni City Friendship Relay, Yokohmam North Dock Relay, Ekiden Relay, Trail Treads and Track Relay, Little Apple Marathon Relay, and the Viking Challenge Relay
25 Sessions of Couch to 5K (C25K) with a total of 202 graduates
25 Chapters gave back to their fellow Stroller Warriors
37 Race donations gifted
46 Active Chapters
81 Man hours laying wreaths at Wreaths Across America events
107 Meal trains provided
110 Coordinators (aka “Fearless Leaders”)
121 Warriors who went Couch 2 Crazy by completing a 5K, then a 10K, then a half marathon (13.1 miles) in one calendar year!
299 Volunteers
312 Cookies baked for the RAF Mildenhall Cookie Drive
357 Toys donated to Toys for Tots
362 Participants in our Mini Miles Program
375 Pairs of shoes donated (Soles 4 Souls, Jenkins Donelson Foundation and Valoha)
400 Items donated to the fire fighters charity
422 Wreaths were donated to Wreaths Across America
455 Participants in our mileage incentive program - Runopoly
1,132 Volunteer hours at various charity events
2,548.5 Miles ran by our Mini Warriors
10,182 Likes on our global page
10,418 Items donated to charitable organizations around the world
27, 289.35 Dollars raised for various charities
211,625 Miles ran as a team for Runopoly
 
Priceless: The positive impact of Stroller Warriors, not just on its members but on the surrounding community too!
 
I want to take a minute to highlight just a few of the things Stroller Warriors has done for our world. 375 pairs of shoes were donated through the Stroller Warriors! As runners, we know the importance of a good pair of shoes. The wrong pair of shoes will stop forward progress. You wouldn’t want to put one foot in front of the other if it resulted in pain and blisters. Having the right pair of shoes that are the right size can make a world of a difference in someone’s life! And we are so proud of our chapters for making a difference.

Many of our chapters supported Wreaths Across America, both in Volunteer hours and in purchasing of wreaths. Wreaths Across America says this about their mission, “In many homes there is an empty seat for one who is serving or who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We show our veterans and families that we will not forget. We will never forget.” I think this message of always being looked after, never forgotten has touched the heart of many Warriors in our military community. Eleven of our chapters participated in Wreaths Across America events. As a team we raised $6,582 dollars for Wreaths Across America, which enabled the purchase of 422 wreaths. To accomplish the task of laying the wreaths, we provided a minimum of 81 volunteer hours. I am so proud of our team and of their dedication to remembering all of our veterans!

The Stroller Warriors of Fort Worth came up with a unique idea to support their local community. They decided to adopt a spot and signed up for the long term cleaning and care of a local playground that they and their children use. Periodically the chapter holds extra events there and members come out to clean up the playground and make it beautiful again. We are so proud of our team for not only taking the time to clean up our world, but also for picking a long term project that doesn’t end in one day; it’s an on going and continued commitment they have made. WELL DONE STROLLER WARRIORS!!

Stroller Warriors around the world regularly host Dedication Runs. They run in honor of those who can’t and they help to raise money or awareness for certain causes or organizations. This year numerous dedication runs were held and we’d like to highlight those causes now.
 
Dedication Runs/Workouts hosted by the Stroller Warriors:
 
A-T Children’s Project
Autism Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness
Charity Miles to USO
Dedication Run for Carter Staley
Dedication Run for those lost in the KC130 crash and FA18 Collision
Depression Awareness
Fisher House
Geraghty Gallop
Global Running Day
Green Beret Foundation
Meg’s Miles Dedication Run
Memorial Day Run
Miles for Mollie
Miles for Peyton
Month of the Military Child
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Run
Remember the Fallen
Run for Steph (Suicide Awareness)
Semper Fi Fund
TACP 24 Hour Memorial Run
The Murph Challenge
Toys for Tots
Wear Blue: Run to Remember

The Month of the Military Child is always a cause near and dear to our hearts. We are so proud of our mini warriors!

The Semper Fi Fund provides direct financial assistance and vital programming for combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured service members and their families. We are so proud of many of our chapters joining together to support such an important cause to our military community.

Numerous SW chapters participated in Toys for Tots, collecting a whopping 357 brand new toys for the toys for tots program! Great job Stroller Warriors!

A HUGE THANK YOU to these vendors, businesses and organizations. They have provided excellent support and partnership with our Stroller Warriors Chapters:

ASYMCA of Hawaii
Beach and Bay YMCA
Bishop Events
Blue Star Families
Coastal Carolina Designs
First Command Financial Services
Fitapnia  and Josh Anderson
Fort Riley Spouses Club
Grounded Running
Hawaii Running Lab
Hodges Badges
Honolulu Marathon
Manhattan Running Company
Mike Ryan, Certified Athletic Trainer & Registered Physical Therapist
Oahu Spine & Rehab
Paradise Screening Printing
Pensacola Sports
Point 2 Running Company
Red 7 Tees
Road Runner Sports, Falls Church
Run with It
Samantha Lee Photography
Seaside School
Whitside Gym Staff
Women’s National Half and 8K
 
As you can see by this snapshot of numbers, Stroller Warriors Chapters around the world are making a positive difference in the lives of others. We are always excited to share these numbers because it helps to break it down for our members just how MUCH they impact the world!
 
The “priceless” list item at the end recognizes the positive impact and the immense reach of the unique combination of activities that Stroller Warriors offers. It includes the countless workouts, races, relays, book club gatherings, Exceptional Warrior dinners, Warrior Night Out events, play-dates, Prayer Warrior meetings, deployment support groups, Swap Shops, PCS mentoring, and general advice and recommendations about anything and everything. If you could see the amount of support and encouragement our members give and receive on a daily basis, your heart would be warmed just like ours is!
 
WELL DONE STROLLER WARRIORS! WELL DONE!!

Halloween is just a few weeks away! Have you starting thinking of a stroller costume idea to attend your chapter's Stroller Treating or Trunk or Treat events or maybe even your local 5K or 10K?! The Warriors at Stroller Warriors® Quantico have continually knocked this task out of the park so we are highlighting a handful of their creative stroller costumes on the blog today.

Now that you have seen THEIR ideas... what stroller costume ideas do YOU have in mind this year? Share with us in the comments below!

Here also are a couple of ideas that we haven't seen before that you might try to recreate....

There comes a time in every Stroller Warrior’s life when her/his children are ready to start logging some miles of their own. We’re here to make that transition for you a little bit easier. I have compiled advice from numerous Stroller Warriors who have been there, done that and have come through the other end triumphant. Without further ado, here are some awesome tips and tricks!
 
Don’t immediately ditch the stroller!There will be a transition period while your mini warrior builds up his or her stamina and you’re going to want a backup plan during that period. Bring the single or the double stroller along, even if your mini has also brought their bike or scooter. There were MANY times where my son lost steam (sometimes only 5 minutes into our run!) and there was no moving him. I am so happy I still had the stroller and could let him climb in with his sister. I’d put his bike on top of the stroller and continue on my way. 
 
Don’t feel like your child needs to go from stroller to bike, there are many other options. Many have found the scooter to be a wonderful transition between stroller rider and biker. With the scooter, your mini won’t be able to go as fast, and therefore it will be even easier for you to keep them in site. The scooter also gives them the chance to build their muscles and their stamina without the height of a fall off a bike. Strider bikes are another great alternative. Keep reading to learn more about strider bikes.

​Bring Band-Aids.  You never know when there might be an accident, so keep band aids on hand just in case. For many children Band-Aids are a magic fix it all and can improve their mood and keep them going. Who doesn’t like having a magic wand around?!

​Strider bikes work! Strider bikes look like regular bikes but they don’t have pedals. They’re also usually lower to the ground. I can tell you from experience, strider bikes work to teach your kids how to ride a bike, STRESS FREE! I remember learning to ride a bike as a kid. After my parents took off my training wheels I fell off into the bushes and onto the ground more times than I can count. It actually made me afraid of biking. I remember my Dad having to run alongside me to make sure I didn’t fall or try to catch me if I did. Thankfully those are not my parenting memories of teaching my kids to ride a bike! We used strider bikes for all 4 of our kids. They learned to balance first and learned to pedal second. Once they got the hang of balancing on their strider bike, it was literally a day or two later that they were able to jump onto their regular bike and head off –without falling! My kids can keep up with me on their strider bikes, and I feel so much safer with them on their striders than on regular bikes while at a Stroller Warriors workout. All they have to do to stop is put their legs down. If you want a stress-free learning to bike experience, get a new or use strider bike.

​
Go to the track!If your local track allows bikes and scooters, that’s a great place to get them started and build their confidence right along with their muscles. They can gain a little bit independence from you and you both can stop whenever you’re tired. No trek back home required. 

​Build up a trusting relationship with strong boundaries. They’re new to this, and likely very excited! However, sometimes there are roads to cross and other runners and strollers to be aware of. Take the time to teach them the rules of the road/trail. Teach them to say, “On your left” if they will be passing someone, and to move to right if someone says, “On your left.” Teach them all of your rules and boundaries. How close to you do they need to be? Do they need to stay with a certain person/friend? Can they cross streets without you or do they need to stop and wait? Can they turn around and bike back towards you? or do you want them to pause where they are wand wait for you to catch up?Setting up your expectations ahead of time, will make your day go a whole lot smoother.
 
Use your tribe!Many warriors have talked about how they sometimes have a fast mini warrior and a slower mini warrior, all at the same time. What are you to do when you can’t be in two places at once? Use your tribe! Talk with your fellow warriors and plan out who will be with the fast kids and who will be with the slower kids. Switch it up so one person doesn’t get stuck always in the back or always in the front. In the past I have asked our lead runner if it would it be okay for my child/children to bike with her? When she has said, yes. I’ve made sure to have a talk with her and my kids to go over my rules with them. For example I usually say, “You can’t go past Mrs. Lindsay, and you need to turn around when she turns around. You also need to listen to her, just as you would listen to me.” I also check in with her after the run to thank her and make sure they listened well and she didn’t run into any problems having them with her. 
 
Remember two key words, patience and practice! When you first start out, you will likely be waiting on them. There will be falls, and scratches and all kinds of delays. Keep practicing. Practice a lot. Practice prior to Stroller Warrior workouts so they can get the hang of riding their bike or scooter before being with a crowd on a bike or a scooter. You can break it down into multiple small segments from the house, 3 minutes out and 3 minutes back and build from there. You can practice multiple times a day. Take small steps to help build their confidence and their muscles. Before you know it, they will be zooming past you on their own.

​Watch out for sleepy kids!  Keep an eye on your child’s level of exhaustion. If they’re too tired have them ride in the stroller or abort for the day. Katie has experienced this first hand. She didn’t realize how tired her son was until he fell asleep at an evening workout and rode his bike right into the seawall. She says, “I felt terrible and didn’t look like the mother of the year.” We all know accidents happen. No judgement here! Take this as a learning lesson for us all, and maybe take a minute to ask your child if they are feeling tired before heading out. 
 
Which reminds me, don’t forget the helmets! Safety comes first! You never know when an accident is going to happen. Traumatic Brain Injuries are a very real and scary thing. Helmets were invented for a reason. Keep an extra in your car if you need to, to help you remember to have one on hand for your mini warrior. 
 
Remember snacks and water.  I can pretty much guarantee if you have a biker or a mini warrior on a scooter, they are going to get thirsty. They may want to stop 3-4 times to “have a rest” and take a drink. Make sure you have enough for you and them, so that no one is left wanting. Their muscles can benefit just as much as yours from a post-run snack. Research shows that eating something small within 30 minutes after a workout helps your muscles to quickly repair and rebuild faster than if you don’t eat anything.

If your biker is having trouble keeping up, check out the tire size of their bike. My son was having trouble keeping up with us. He was getting frustrated and not having fun. We upgraded his bike to the next tire size and literally the next day he could keep up! With the bigger tires he was able to use the same amount of effort to go further and faster.
 
We’re so happy we could help you along in your transition in this small way, by sharing our best tips and tricks. If you have more tips and tricks we haven’t talked about above please post below and share with your fellow Stroller Warriors!
 
Happy Running! 
Kelly and the SWHQ Team

I want to start off this blog by giving you a little bit of background on me, the writer. I am a mother of 4, and have been stroller running for 10 years. I am not a paid blogger. None of the companies I talk about below have asked me to write about them. 

Now the good stuff: what you need and how to get yourself up to stroller running with your baby. 

First of all, you need a jogging stroller. Let me say that in my experience with jogging strollers, you get what you pay for. This is one area in life where it is better to pay a little more and get a high quality stroller that can last. My personal favorite is the BOB Revolution (I own two! Their single and their double). There are other brands that my friend’s have and that seem to perform well. Feel free to ask on your local Stroller Warrior® page for recommendations. I have known people who started out without a jogging stroller. I even know two that started with a tandem double and one that started with a tandem triple! While it is possible, it’s less safe and is a lot harder on you and your body.

When you decide to run with your infant is up to you and your doctor. Talk with your doctor and your spouse and make the decision that is the best for you and your family. If you would like to read more about my personal experiences on returning to running post partum this blog will tell you more. 

Always make sure to buckle your child in safely. Make sure to run holding the safety strap securely and don't forget to put on your brake when you stop. Nobody wants a runaway stroller! It's also a good idea to get in the habit of looking over the stroller to make sure the wheels are on correctly, properly secured and are inflated before you start your run. The stroller you purchase should have a website or manual that can detail how to correctly do these things.

If you want, before you give in and walk, here are a few different things you can try. These are listed in random order. You can do whichever you want first. Every baby is different and you know your baby best. 
​1. Check the baby’s diaper. They may want a new one.
2. Feed the baby. Know that all of the research says that babies are the healthiest eaters out there. They will eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. 3. Burp the baby. Gas pains are no fun!
4. Give the baby a pacifier.  
5. Play music. Is there a special song you listened to or sang while you were pregnant? Don’t be afraid to whip it out and use it. It could make a world of a difference in your baby’s mood. Nobody will judge you while you run along singing the ABCs or for my second son it was Twinkle, Twinkle. If anything it just makes you look like a good Mom. I have a friend that had a Hawaiian song playing on repeat every time we ran together. I didn’t mind at all because it made her son happy and enabled us to run together. 

​If baby still isn’t happy take them out, put them in a carrier and walk with them. Did you know that the research on calories burned is pretty similar in running VS walking provided that the MILES covered is the same. What I am saying is that for example if you run 3 miles or walk 3 miles your caloric expenditure will be remarkably similar. The big difference is the time. For example on average it would have taken you 30 minutes to run 3 miles and it would have taken you 60 minutes to walk it. Walking is good exercise and exercise does your body and mind wonders. So don’t be too upset if your run is abruptly halted by a crying baby. You can still get a good workout in and get some of those endorphins and much needed vitamin D for you and baby. ​

By Brianna H.

In 2015, I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas where a new Stroller Warriors® chapter was starting up. This was my first exposure to Stroller Warriors and I was super excited about it. I loved getting together with others to run around the beautiful rolling Kansas hills. The downside for me, was that the chapter started just a few months before we had to leave Kansas. I was going to have to leave the Stroller Warrior life I had begun to know and love. I was, as some would say, "beginning to drink the Kool-Aid!" I loved Stroller Warriors so much, I knew that I wanted to be in Stroller Warriors wherever we went.

Thank you so much for sharing your story Brianna!
We have no doubt that Stroller Warriors Fort Hood will continue to grow and have a positive influence on not only it's members but the surrounding community as well!
Keep up the great work!

If you are  a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at paige.swglobal@gmail.com! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing
Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.

This week we bring to you a guest blog with a novel idea for a FUN workout and heartfelt message from one of our long time members and Coordinators at Stroller Warriors® Camp Pendleton, Nikki T! Without further ado, I will let Nikki take it away!
​
SW Camp Pendleton hosted our 1st Annual Trash the Dress run on May 21. When the idea came to me a month ago, my fellow coordinators and I jumped on making this happen. We picked a date, and the execution was even better than I imagined! In the end, it was so much more than a themed run. It was a celebration!

By Yvonne Z.

I heard about the Stroller Warriors® Running Club at Ramstein, Germany, where I am originally from. My husband and I attended a 5K fun run which was organized by an organization called the “KMC 5K Runners”. The Stroller Warriors Ramstein, Germany had a table there with some info about them and I instantly liked what I saw! This was in 2017.

Stroller running was brand new to me, since I had just had my daughter and I thought joining the Stroller Warriors sounds promising. I joined the group and my good friend and I attended a few workouts in the local area. I felt right at “home” going to the workouts. Shortly after I had discovered Stroller Warriors Ramstein, we received orders to Keesler, Mississippi, which was my very first PCS and the first time moving away from home. The Stroller Warriors community was super helpful, giving me lots of tips and advise that they have gained with their past moves. I was sad that I had found them so close to our PCS, but was looking forward to our new adventure.

Once at Keesler I drove around the base to explore our new home while my husband had his first day at work. We were still living in the Temporary Lodging Facility (TLF) and my daughter and I were out and about. One of the first things I noticed was the beautiful running track that bends around the flight line adjacent to the Biloxi Back Bay. Coming from Germany I always wanted to live close to water and was in awe of how beautiful the scenery was. “With such a nice running track, there must be a SW chapter on base” was the first thought that crossed my mind.

Back in TLF I took my laptop and started searching for a SW chapter but couldn’t find one. I emailed Headquarters (HQ) to verify. HQ answered quickly saying that there was not a chapter yet and asked me If I would be interested in starting one… I filled out the questionnaire to launch a chapter right then and there, two days after arriving at Keesler.

Of course I had doubts if I would be able to “pull it off” since my time with Stroller Warriors in Germany had been so short and I didn’t have time to really get to know the club, BUT with full support from my husband and my fantastic Regional Mentor, Kim B., I was able to build up the chapter.

On March 22nd, 2018 we officially launched our Keesler chapter with a fantastic inaugural workout. We had a great turnout, the weather was perfect and everybody had a great time. I remember that after the workout I was so pumped. I didn’t remember what I had said in my speech or anything, but I felt happy and confident that this was going to be an amazing adventure.

I was incredibly lucky to have had quite a few Warriors in the group from the day our Facebook group launched, who posted their running stories, photos and motivated others to do so as well. I am so thankful for them. They will always be a big part of building up the chapter.

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated our ONE year Runniversary with a birthday party themed workout and also kicked off our second round of Couch to 5K (C25K)!! It was a very special day for me and made me reflect on the past year and all the accomplishments and friendships I was able to make with the chapter.

The only way to describe this past year is that is was phenomenal! We had an incredible kick
off, motivated Warriors from the get go, we dedicated several workouts to charity organizations,
held donation drives for Fisher House and Toys for Tots, we also had so much fun putting our
first Mini Warrior program together and had a very successful first round of C25K in the Fall of 2018.

Most importantly, we built each other up, made friendships that will last a lifetime and celebrated personal goals, no matter how big or small. I can’t wait to see what this next year holds for us as a chapter. We are growing and are well- known throughout the base and surrounding military installations. So far I have received nothing but positive feedback, which makes me very proud.

We are currently working on our chapter specific logo and I can’t wait to proudly wear our own
Keesler specific Stroller Warrior gear soon.

Thank you so much for sharing your story Yvonne!
We have no doubt that with your guidance Stroller Warriors Keesler will continue to grow and create many lasting memories!

If you’re a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at paige.swglobal@gmail.com! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing
Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.

By Amanda C.

I finished my first 50K and it was a huge accomplishment! Before that though, I DID NOT FINISH (DNF) my first 50K.

I started out my first attempt at a 50K race terrified that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I literally made myself believe there was no way I could. When race day came, I gave up and I gave up quickly. By mile 10 I already didn’t want to try. It was almost like I wanted to prove myself right by not finishing. I literally stopped trying to make the time cut off, because in my head there was no way I could do it. At mile 20, I was proven right. I didn’t make that time cutoff. I felt like a huge failure. I cried a lot. I made excuses. I literally mourned the loss of a dream. People always say running is a mental game and I learned that the hard way.

It took a while, but I started to turn that DNF into a positive. I ran 20 miles that day when most people don’t even run 20 miles in a week. I had something to be proud of even if I didn’t finish. My Stroller Warrior tribe encouraged me and told me they still believed in me. Slowly I gained my confidence back and decided to try again, but this time I was going to make some changes. This time, I was going to believe in myself.

My friends and I searched for the perfect race. We trained and we trained hard. We ran in freezing temperatures while we watched the sun come up. We ran in the rain. We did intense speed work. These warriors stayed with me and encouraged me every step of the way. I told myself over and over that I could do this; that I would not let this race defeat me. If I started to doubt myself, I reached
out to my tribe and they picked me back up.

This time when race day came I told myself I could do it. That I would absolutely not give up! While we ran my friend told me over and over again, “You're doing it!” and you know what…I did! I did it! I changed my mentality on the entire thing and I actually enjoyed it. We had fun! We laughed and we talked to other runners. They encouraged us and we encouraged them. I crossed the finish line that day with tears in my eyes. I felt like a Warrior. I accomplished my goal and I didn’t let fear stop me this time.