It is a new Stroller Warriors season with C25K and Fall Kickoff events happening at various chapters, SW members welcoming new friends and reuniting with old friends from earlier assignments— it is a cheerful time!

Last week at Stroller Warriors, a friend mentioned how she loved seeing the SW members with multiple children— the patience and ability to multitask inspired her!  Our chat at Stroller Warriors reminded me of my own journey through motherhood and how much Stroller Warriors has played an integral part of my growth as a parent.

My Stroller Warriors journey began in Germany at Ramstein Air Base.  It was my first time joining a fitness group geared towards parents and specifically for military families.  I was a bowl full of nerves and excitement at my first Stroller Warriors workout— so nervous that my nerves jolted into the pavement at full speed as I lost my way around base housing!  My daughter and I, along with our SW friends, explored the local area via running, stopped at local German bäckereis, and dined at local restaurants for lunch after SW workouts.  I was happy to have friends to help me with my broken German and thanks to my SW friends, I felt very much like a local.  My SW friends took care of me when my husband deployed— welcomed me to partake in their family traditions during the holidays, dropped off soup when my daughter and I got sick, and sat with me through my ultrasound appointments during my pregnancy.  On the day that my son was born, I was enroute to meet SW friends at a local pool, but quickly redirected to the hospital.  My SW friends were the first people my husband called when my second child was born.   Most people have their family members to offer a hand after a new baby arrives— I had my SW friends.  They brought meals to our family, offered to help push the double stroller, watched my oldest as I loaded belongings in and out of the car, stopped with me to take nursing breaks during a run, and held my colicky baby so that I could finish my coffee.  You name it and they helped!  My Stroller Warrior friends guided me through the transition of parenting one child to parenting two. 
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Fast forward to life in Virginia.  I was thrilled to find an active SW chapter at Fort Belvoir.  My children immediately befriended the other mini-warriors, and I was excited to be with my people—my SW people.  Two of my SW friends haled from the Boston area, which made me feel closer to home!  They understood where I grew up, and the obsession with Dunks!   During this assignment I had my 3rd child.  My postpartum journey with my daughter was vastly different than my journey with the older 2 children— I did not feel like myself.  Physically, I was exhausted, and my physical postpartum recovery took much longer.  Emotionally, I did not feel like myself— I cried, felt lost, and lacked the motivation to do the activities I loved.  One morning after walking at the SW workout- at the track to be exact- the tears came out.   My SW friends…THEY WERE THERE.  They were the wall that that I leaned on through postpartum depression— providing support and helping me transition from a mom of two to a mom of three.  Parenting takes a village.  My Stroller Warriors village was at my door before I opened it.  My village swapped turns with me so that I could take part in hill repeats— we took turns watching the mini warriors while a group tackled the hills.  My village ran with me and kept a watchful eye while I pushed the double BOB and had a scootering child blazing down the Mount Vernon Trail.  My village took the time to meet at Wegmans for coffee to chat about adult things while the kids played at the train table.  They embraced me when I needed comfort.  They helped me get my groove back. 
 
When I arrived at Charleston, only one kiddo came along with me to SW events as the older two were at school.  She loved to help the younger mini warriors make it to the top of the small climbing wall at the park or guide them to the top of steps— ensuring that each child safely made it all the way.  This lasted for a single season.  This fall, all three of my children are in school— no more strollers, scooters, or bikes to load into the car.  I bring my furry friend along with me to SW workouts.  A new stage of parenthood to share with my Stroller Warrior friends.  


Happy Running!
​Rose 

​This morning I was chatting with a Stroller Warriors friend about their family’s PCS--a PCS where everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, then sprinkled with the worry of first day of school jitters.  I wish I had the ability to reach through the phone and give her a hug, or teleport myself to her location and run it out.  Alas, those two options were not possible, so I offered an ear. 
 
I stepped out the door for a run shortly after getting off the phone.  My run was not pretty!  The dog stopped many times to sniff, I stopped several times to cool off in the shade, and I began chaffing because I wore the wrong shorts; however, I was determined to finish the run despite these hiccups.
 
I quickly switched gears and thought about the telephone conversation I had right before I left to run.  I love to use running as a life comparison tool.  Running keeps me balanced.  Like military life where one hits that jackpot with an awesome assignment or a PCS that runs seamlessly, I have incredible runs where I feel like I can run a marathon or hit a PR!  Then I have a run like today where I just want to stop, like a PCS gone awry! I realize during those difficult runs, like today, that I need to switch gears.  So, today, I ran for my friend— channeling my bad run frustration and my friend’s vexing PCS situation through my feet and right into the pavement.   
 
One thing I love about Stroller Warriors- we know that it is OKAY to lean in, to vent about the positives and negatives of this military lifestyle (a life that many don’t understand), to share about our lives and all without judgement— offering an ear on a run, while our kids play at the park, at a SW coffee meet-up, or over the phone.  Like running, Stroller Warrior friends fill my cup.  They provide sunshine on a gloomy day.  They are here!
 
Happy Running!
Rose 

Many of our Stroller Warrior families are now at the tail-end of PCS season— filled with anticipation for the day they will receive crates packed with belongings finally arriving from previous duty stations.  Some Stroller Warriors are reunited with their jogging stroller that was tagged and shipped with their household goods.  Others watch as the movers carry a heavy treadmill from the moving truck and into a garage as they hope it is delivered undamaged or able to operate on a European adapter!  Hopefully, the free weights or kettle bells did not smash the other items loaded into the crate, especially not the jogging stroller! 

Kettle bells, free weights, jogging stroller, and the treadmill all have one tiny PCS item in common: these items were tagged with a numbered moving label! 

Earlier this week I lead an introductory kettle bell session with Stroller Warriors Charleston.  I grabbed the kettle bells from my car and placed them on the concrete when I noticed one kettle bell with a blue moving label still attached— a moving label from Germany…several assignments ago!  This kettle bell has been lifted thousands of times by either me, a Stroller Warrior, or a military spouse friend, neither of these people having removed or mentioned the sticker still being stuck to the handle!  

So, today before the post-run strength training session, I peeled the sticker off the kettle bell and placed it on my key fob (I didn’t want to litter).  That little sticker brought back fond memories of Friday evening strength workouts on the Southside track at Ramstein, Friday morning strength workouts with Stroller Warriors Fort Belvoir— all the kids playing in the grass while the moms lunged and swung kettle bells, workouts in my garage with my Elsewhere friends, and now on to Stroller Warriors Charleston where my friends stick around to learn about kettle bells in the heat.  These PCS stickers are a reminder of so many wonderful memories with Stroller Warriors and how incredibly grateful I am to belong to an extremely supportive military family!

Interested in joining Stroller Warriors?  Please visit our website to find a chapter near you! 
https://www.strollerwarriors.com/chapters.html

​Happy Running,
Rose   

I could not tell you how many times I open the trunk of the car to load groceries, school items, etc., only to see the jogging stroller taking up much of the trunk space— it’s a permanent fixture.  I always let out a long sigh and use a delicate system of placing a full load of groceries from Costco around the BOB stroller.  I remember our BOB stroller sitting in the front entryway of our house in Germany— rolling it out of the way to grab our shoes stored under an entryway table.  I would often load the kids in the stroller and walk to the bakery in the mid-afternoon for a snack before going to the neighborhood park as the evening church bells rang.  In the mornings, the stroller would go back into the car before Stroller Warriors, only to be placed back in the entryway when I got home.  The jogging stroller— taking up much needed space and always annoyingly working around it. 

I mentioned to my husband that I cannot wait for stroller free days— we will have so much more space!  However, as I was running this morning before story time at the library- extremely hot, sweaty hands slipping from the handlebar, and my youngest singing the lyrics to her favorite Disney tunes at the top of her lungs- I realized that I would miss the jogging stroller and stroller running days. 
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I have been running with a jogging stroller for over 10 years-- beginning with a single stroller pushing my first born through strong windy weather in Montana; transitioning to a double stroller when my son was born; adding a bike rider to the mix when my youngest came along and experiencing the need to run at turbo speed with a double stroller in order to keep up with a quick kiddo on wheels; thankfully moving back to a single stroller with 2 kids on bikes; now here I am with my last stroller rider who will be heading off to school in a month.  

I made so many cherished memories while running with my kids in the BOB, but one in particular is by far my favorite— during our last days in Germany, my husband and I took a family run down the Kaiserstrasse heading towards a local overpass to watch the trains pass.  It was a perfect evening— pleasant summertime weather with a slight breeze in the air, and puffy clouds in the sky with the early evening sunbeams bursting through.  In the middle of the run, my daughter leaned over, reached her hand out and brushed her hand over the wild daisies that were growing alongside the path. 
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The jogging stroller has helped keep my love for running alive throughout each stage of parenthood.  Ten years, a quarter of my life, running with a jogging stroller.  The stroller and my kiddos have been my steadfast companions throughout the past decade.  It has been an instrument that set me on an incredible path in discovering the Stroller Warriors community.  There are many aspects of running with a stroller that I will miss….I will miss the storage for my water bottle and cellphone, I will miss having the space for my Bluetooth speaker, but most of all, I will miss the company it keeps. 
 
Happy running,
Rose 

Time for another running haiku!  Summer vacation is in full swing— which means I have all 3 mini warriors with me when I run in the morning and walk the dog in the evening.  Creating a running haiku is something fun that we do when we’re out and about! 

Here is a running haiku created by my 6 year old…

I zoom lightning fast
Can I have a freeze pop now?
My mom runs too much. 

​PCS season is officially upon us— some families packing up boxes for a new destination, while others are hanging back to say farewell.  I am beginning to see the “Odes” on the Stroller Warrior chapter pages.  Our family is no longer new to our current location; however, I always make a point to keep my heart open to making new friends.  This past January, my daughter was thrilled to have made a new friend through a youth program on base—and I made a friend as well!   I am not the best at putting myself out there when it comes to chatting with other parents during activities, so I was extremely thankful when introductions were made.  I learned about the indoor activities that were finally in-person after being virtual due to COVid—the story time at the base library being one of them!  My daughter and I began regularly attending story time— always catching up with our new friends!  I learned that they received orders to a location where we were previously stationed.  It was a bittersweet moment— I was excited for their new adventure and shared details of the things that our family loved about their upcoming duty station…Stroller Warriors® being one of them!  I was ecstatic when I learned that my friend joined Stroller Warriors— when we pass through and/or visit their location for vacation- and who knows, maybe receive orders there once again- I will have a friend to run with! 
I wanted to leave with advice from an earlier blog piece from our Fearless leader (read the blog entry below) — fight the urge to close off to new friendships 6 months prior to a PCS!  Those friendships will lead to some great memories.  And with this transient military lifestyle, there is always a possibility of being stationed together again! 
https://www.strollerwarriors.com/blog/shutting-down-6-months-prior-to-a-pcs
 
Happy Running,
Rose 😊

April is the month of the military child— the month dedicated to our beloved dandelion children who plant roots at every duty station they call home.  As parents, how do we find the soil where these dandelions will flourish?  The answer for our family is Stroller Warriors— Stroller Warriors has been a major part of the root system for my kids.
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My Stroller Warriors journey began in Germany, and it is here where I met Molly at the Stroller Warriors Ramstein Spring Kick-off in 2015.  Molly and I became instant friends as did our children.  From the start, our kids marched to the same drumbeat— barefoot nature-loving children making sandy mud pies with water from their water bottles, a love for running/sports, playing pretend, and learning.  Our families grew together while stationed in Germany.  The day that my second child was born, I was making sandwiches to pack for a Stroller Warriors pool day.  Our family didn’t make it to the pool that morning as we ended up at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center expanding our family by one.  As the days and weeks went on, Molly’s oldest daughter taught my oldest daughter what life is like as a big sister.  Molly’s second oldest helped take care of my son at Café Schmidt (our morning spot after school drop-off, but before Stroller Warrior runs)— picking up my son’s spoon from the ground, giving him his Sophie giraffe, or rocking his car seat when he began fussing.  The day that we flew from Ramstein to PCS back to the States was also a Stroller Warriors workout day.  I ran with my kids to the “airplane” park, ran one final loop with the Stroller Warriors Ramstein crew, and my kids played with their mini-warrior besties 3 hours before we left for America.  We have managed to reconnect with Molly and her family on several occasions since leaving Germany.  Each time, our kids pick up right where they left off— it’s as if no time has passed whatsoever.  Their friendship bond is strong is and enduring like a dandelion.   

​Things started to feel real after our hullabaloo of a PCS back to the states, visiting family around the country, and settling the kids into stateside school/activities— little hearts were hurting.  Enter Stroller Warriors Fort Belvoir to ease their pain with the familiarity and consistency of the Stroller Warriors family.  Many memories were made at the parks and in the dirt.  My kids continually recall their favorite memories from our time in Virginia— memories that include their mini-warrior friends.  While Stroller Warriors members hustled during speed workouts and strength training sessions on the track, our mini warriors were busy creating childhood memories— trying to build a tree fort alongside the track, riding bikes and scooters, catching butterflies in the midfield, and sharing toys in the outside lanes.  My mini warriors still wear their tie-dyed t-shirts they made during the mini-warriors program in 2018.  One member even invited all the mini warriors to their child’s Star Wars themed birthday party, which is all time favorite birthday party memory!  

The kids said their farewells to their Fort Belvoir friends after enjoying frozen yogurt at the Sweet Frog on base.  Two days later we headed to South Carolina for a new adventure.  Unfortunately, Shaw AFB did not have a Stroller Warriors chapter.  SW Fort Jackson was an hour up the road, but a bit of a hike for us to attend workouts during the school year.  I transitioned into the Stroller Warriors Elsewhere chapter.  I thought this would be a big adjustment, but there were Stroller Warrior connections to be found!   As a member of Stroller Warriors Elsewhere, my kids found other military children that they referred to as their Stroller Warriors friends.  I met Abby at our neighborhood pool one sizzling and humid South Carolina summer afternoon shortly after moving to SC.  Or, I should say, Chris met Abby at the pool and called me: “come down to the pool, there is someone here from Montana and she also loves running.”  Abby also had a Stroller Warriors connection— her close friend was also a member of Stroller Warriors in Monterey!  Abby became one of my morning running buddies and her children were what my kids called their Stroller Warrior Elsewhere friends— often taking stroller walks and/or runs through the neighborhood or local park, meeting at the library, or completing  kettle bell strength workouts on the track while the kids ran around…sometimes staying at the track a bit longer to watch the F-16s roll out.  These memories of Abby and her children are often shared by my children— their roots planted at Shaw AFB.   
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Our family PCS’d to Charleston AFB and I immediately joined Stroller Warriors Charleston.  My children were thrilled there was a Stroller Warriors chapter— it meant jumping right back into a familiar friend group/family.  My older two kids began school shortly after our PCS, but my youngest was eager to attend her first Stroller Warriors event at our new home base.  Chelsea, the coordinator of SW Charleston became my first friend at our new location, and her youngest daughter has become a cherished friend for my youngest daughter— often sharing stories with her two older siblings about what she and Chelsea’s daughter played during their Friday Stroller Warriors session.  My daughter recently celebrated a birthday, and with spring break on the horizon, pulling together a birthday party to include all her favorite people seemed impossible, but all HER PEOPLE are her Stroller Warriors friends. We arrived at a Friday Stroller Warriors run with cupcakes and Italian cookies to celebrate her big day.  My daughter hopped out of the car and ran over to Chelsea’s daughter who was holding a birthday present— together the two girls opened the present and ran to the playground to play with a book and action-figurines…taking a cookie or two along the way!  After the workout we all sang happy birthday, but then my daughter wanted to sing everyone who attended the workout (as two other mini-warriors had birthdays coming up, and our dog’s birthday was just a week away)!  The story of her Stroller Warriors birthday party has been shared repetitively with our family, friends or anyone that asks if she had a birthday celebration. 

These mini-warrior memories (and many more) make the dandelion roots for my little dandelions— my military kids.  I am forever grateful to Stroller Warriors for providing the soil for my children to flourish!
 
Happy Running,
Rose 

Earlier Facebook days— who remembers the “25 Things About You” list in the notes function?  I do! I made a list 25 bright points while I ran my neighborhood loop and exercised with my kids during spring break. 

25 Things About Running the Circle
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1. I stepped out and decided to run instead of rowing on my back porch.
2. My kids asked to scooter along during the run— hooray!
3. Time for a longer run with the kids home for spring break.
4. Sunshine and cool weather in Charleston, SC made for perfect running weather.
5. I remember to start my Garmin. 
6. My dog heeled next to me during the entire run…even after watching birds, passing squirrels and several other furry friends.
7. And my dog did not try to jump up and bite the leash!
8. I wore the right shorts— a pair that didn’t cause chaffing.
9. Luckily, I spotted the dog poop (not from my dog) on the sidewalk before stepping on it!
10. There are many lovely gardens in my neighborhood.
11. Successfully worked on my 360 breathing technique while running.
12. I measured the loop around my neighborhood— .62 miles.
13. My kids loved racing each other on their scooters while I ran. 
14. My running sneakers are still in good condition after bike riding in a rainstorm.
15. Runners wave exchanges with fellow runners in the neighborhood.
16. There were much fewer no-see-um bugs while running mid-day. 
17. Switching gears from running with a dog running leash attached to my waist, to using our regular leather leash and holding it with my hand.  The change has offered more stability while running with the dog. 
18. Stop-look-listen-wait for me…my kids know and follow this pedestrian rule (it may seem like an obvious lesson all kids allow, but I have seen SO MANY kids in our neighborhood roll right into the road without stopping).  Being able to do this makes for less stress!
19. A neighbor trimmed their trees along the sidewalk to form an arch to walk/run through.  It’s a neat aspect when running loops around the neighborhood.
20. Passing my yard to grab a sip of water out of my water bottle. 
21. Running 4 miles.
22. Walking with the kids while cooling down after a run and watching them find and collect “nature treasures”.
23. My kids convincing me to do some post run strength training in the yard, which included an obstacle course!
24. A new overhead squat PR.
25. Cheese and crackers for a post run snack!

This was a great run/exercise session in preparation for summer break coming at the beginning of June.  I may have to run the neighborhood loop or run 400 loops around the track with the kids more times than I would prefer, but I know that we will be able to make it enjoyable!  And as the seasons change, I’m sure I’ll compile another “25 things” list about running my neighborhood loop.  I know many Stroller Warrior members have repetitive loops/paths that they run with their kids.  What are a few enjoyable aspects of these repetitive running courses?  

Happy Running!

​Rose :)

St. Patrick’s Day (and the few days preceding) has always been a festive and celebratory time— building “leprechaun traps” at school and/or home, donning a plethora of green attire for a road race, and sharing a boiled dinner of corned beef and cabbage with family and friends.  I love these traditions— they bring about a feeling of happiness and, much like green for St. Patrick’s Day, signs of budding, spring, and growth. 

As I was running through my neighborhood this weekend— wearing my green shirt from college, zipping past the people preparing for the neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day parade— a festive running haiku popped into my head:
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Clovers on my path
Deep breaths and progressive steps
Dropkicks end my run 

Happy Running!
​-Rose :) 

As a female runner, I hardly feel safe when running alone. There’s a little voice in the back of my head, telling me the horror stories of female runners before me. A little voice reminding me of the times I’ve been stalked, touched (I’ve had bikers assault me on a rec path) and yes, even the times I’ve had others try to abduct me while I was running. When I started running with a stroller I felt a little safer. Children in a stroller complicate things for a would be-rapist or attacker. The lone stroller would attract a lot of attention and there’d be more unknown variables with screaming kids around. My stroller was like a safety blanket and we ran everywhere, freely.

​Well, I’ve been a Stroller Warrior for 12 years now. My children are getting older and while they’re not out of the stroller entirely yet, I’ve had a lot more stroller free runs while they’re in school. I’ve begun to feel the need to learn to protect myself. What if I was attacked on a run? Would I know what to do? Would I be able to get away? I’m the kind of person who thinks of a “plan” in the event of x,y,z and if I ever was rushed and someone tried to attack me, my plan was to step wide to make a wide, firm base, and hope that they got thrown off track and I stayed stable so I could run away. That was the entirety of my plan. I had no idea what to do when/if we actually hit the ground together. Or even if we were face to face, with an attack imminent.

In preparation for a return to the States after living in Okinawa, Japan (maybe the safest place on earth? Certainly dubbed the “happiest” by most of the world!), I wanted to learn some self defense. Long ago I picked Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for my kids to do as a sport. After working for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, I wanted my kids to have the ability to defend themselves. I liked that Jiu Jitsu gave them muscle memory and hands-on experiences. I knew from researching that 90% of fights ended up on the ground and if you could gain or maintain ground control, you had a MUCH better chance of winning; of living. I had watched my children for years but never took any classes myself. In preparation for stroller-less running, I signed up.

​So, at 38 years-old, I entered the matted room on base and walked into an entirely new world. I’ve been training for 8 months now and have one stripe on my white belt. I’ve completed in one tournament and took home Gold, beating out two other competitors. I have learned to fight from the ground, on my back. I have learned to choke someone out with my legs (it’s called a triangle choke). Who knew you could choke with your legs?! I primarily “roll,” aka fight, male marines and I’ve learned that I’m so much stronger than I give myself credit for. My running has been an incredible asset to me, which I particularly noticed in the tournament. When I am training BJJ, I didn’t tailor my running at all. I figured if I’m going to get attacked, I’d most likely get attacked on a run. So learning to fight while tired was a goal of mine. So on Saturdays I’d do my long run at 5am, generally around 12 miles, and then go to open mat where I’d spar for 2 hours. When competition day came, my stamina was incredible. I was hardly tired while my competitor looks clearly gassed.

BJJ hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine. I’ve injured my ribs, and continually have bruises. But in the past 8 months I also have been injured just walking down the steps! (My socks slipped). To me, an injury while learning is part of the game and I’m not afraid of it. Nothing worth fighting for is ever going to come easy, and I have a lot more to learn.

​​I’ve grown in confidence and am learning not only how to choke but how to protect from a choke. Sparing/defending yourself ignites something primal and I am learning how to breathe through that and regain my mental focus in a fight. My friend Anne and fellow runner who is blue belt in BJJ said, “my goal if attacked is always to be a big enough pain that they’ll decide I’m not worth it and go away.”


Before BJJ, had I been attacked, I think once we hit the ground I probably would have tried to talk to them, to play nice and get them to realize I’m a human, a mom. Now, I know when we hit the ground that’s when the fun really begins and I’m not stopping until you run away, I can run away or you passed out from me choking you.


If you’ve ever felt scared for your safety on a run. Consider taking some martial arts or self dense classes. There are a variety of options to choose from and all of them will help your knowledge and confidence grow.


Happy Running!
Kelly