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!
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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 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.

​One Saturday I set out on my long run and decided to take one of my usual routes. I like to vary my routes for safety reasons, but I also like to periodically take the same route to compare my progress. This particular route had a long hill that was a particular challenge for me.

​As I started my charge up the hill, I could feel my body start to fatigue and my mind not so sure it wanted to continue. Looking ahead I picked a point and told myself, "I have to make it to the beginning of the railing and then I can walk." The deal made in my head I charged forward. Pushing myself. Pushing my body. Pushing my limits. 

As I got closer to the railing -my stopping point- I noticed the air had started to change; it smelled BAD. And then I saw it. There at the base of the railing, right where I was supposed to be allowed to stop and walk. Right there ON MY STOPPING POINT was a dead opossum. 
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My body wanted to stop. I had just pushed myself further than usual. I was incredibly fatigued but my brain said, don’t you dare stop! It STINKS! So I pushed forward and continued to push past. And do you know what? It was easy to push past. I had pushed myself to the limit, but then had been able to push myself to run just a little bit further. I had (surprisingly easily) pushed myself to do more than I thought I could. 
 
A few weeks later the dead opossum and stench were thankfully gone but as I approached the spot where he used to lay, my body was again fatigued and ready to stop, I told myself, “Oh no! A dead possum! Keep running!” And do you know what. I DID. I was able to trick my body to go a little bit further and a little bit faster than I thought I could. All because of what I told myself in my head. By imagining the dead opossum there, I had tapped into that same push and drive, even when it wasn’t in fact there. 

​The dead possum taught me an important lesson. Running is far more mental than you can ever realize. So the next time you want to stop, imagine there is a dead opossum you need to get away from and I bet my bottom dollar you’ll keep on running. 
 
Happy Running! 
Kelly

Usually, for most military spouses, when you’re 6 months-out from a PCS your motivation to make new friends fades a little bit. I consider it a form of self-preservation. Your sub-conscious is trying to protect yourself from emotional pain, so you start to distance yourself a little bit from others, and stop working to build new relationships. I want to challenge this way of thinking, though, because many years ago I had a friend challenge and change mine.
 
Many years ago a new girl PCSd to Okinawa when I only had 6 months left on the island. Her name was Sarah and we had an awful lot in common. We both ran, we both enjoyed triathlons, we both had 3 children, and we both had graduated from the same college  (though neither of us knew the other in college). Sarah upon meeting me decided we would be friends. I was and always have been friendly to new people. I never want anyone to leave a Stroller Warrior workout without having connected with another adult! However, I wasn’t so sure I needed new friends at this stage in my life. But she was really nice and I really enjoyed hanging out with her. She kept coming to Stroller Warriors workouts and we kept hanging out and running together. Then, even though be both knew I only had 6 months left at this duty station, our friendship progressed to training for a half together and countless miles shared and memories made. 

One time we met in the middle of our houses for a nighttime run. At this point in my life I knew nothing about running after dinner. I had eaten a very full meal and upon jostling my stomach for a few miles, I promptly threw up on the side of the road. There had been no warning, I wasn’t sick, it was just like a when a baby eats too much and spits up some of it. I was so embarrassed! The only times I had ever heard of someone throwing up during running or after running was from over-exertion like during a race or a track workout. This was neither of those times. Lessons learned for sure! To eat smaller portions or eat a regular portion but give your stomach time to digest before heading out to run.
 
Another night after getting back to the car, we hung around to stretch and chat. While sitting on the ground stretching we hear noises in the bushes that sounded like an animal or animals of some sort. Sarah got up quickly and started screaming, “Coyotes! Coyotes!” and jumped into her car. I stood outside staring at her and she opened the door slightly to scream, “Get in the car!!” I could hear the noise getting louder and closer. Sarah being so nervous made me nervous, so I jumped into the car too. Only I was getting into the side where Sarah already was! She awkwardly scrambled from the passenger side to the drivers side and we both finally fit in the car and were able to shut the door. We peered nervously out and watched as a pack of dogs (not coyotes!) jumped out of the bushes and ran lazily around the parking lot. We sure had a good laugh over that one! I remember telling her, “I’m pretty sure they don’t even have coyotes on the island!” (They don’t). 

While Sarah and I only ended up having 6 months on the island together we have a million memories. She truly made my time at that duty station richer. Had I said no to a friendship with her, I am the one who would have missed out. My life would have been less fun, less funny, less rich. I am more blessed because of our friendship.
 
While I physically had to leave Sarah, our friendship is something that I didn’t have to leave behind. To this day we still talk on the phone and share our lives. We don’t have a set schedule to talk but when we do talk, we just pick up right where we left off. Five years later the stars are aligning and we are rotating at the same time. Will we meet at the next duty station? I can only hope! 

​I do know, however, that because I fought against my instincts to start shutting down prior to a PCS, I have a stronger support network and a really great friend. I challenge you, don’t let yourself turn off prior to a PCS or move! You never know who you are going to meet and how much richer your life could become. Go to the Stroller Warriors workouts anyway, make new friends anyway, life is short, try your best to live it to its fullest!
 
Happy Running!
Kelly 

By Rachael W

I was always athletic, (swim team in high school and a cheerleader for 10 years) but NEVER a runner. In fact, I was the person that would rather skip school on the day we had to run the mile in PE than actually run it! Ha! But, after 4 kids and neglecting my own health for theirs, I was out of shape to say the least. 

When we moved to NC, I joined a gym.  A gym that I used only a handful of times because my youngest child would refuse to stay in the daycare.  So, I remained out of shape; my former self just a whisper of a memory. 

Then, my son decided to join the STRIDE Program to run a 5K with his school in May of 2017.  He was going to need a buddy to run it with him, so I had planned on sending my husband. You know, the Marine that could run 3 miles in his sleep. But it was my neighbor (who IS a runner) who decided she was going to do it with her son and somehow she talked me into doing the same. It was hard. I didn't know what I was doing, and at that point I could not complete a mile without stopping, but I ran a 5K! Well, I didn’t exactly “run” it, but I finished it (in 37 minutes) and I swore that I'd NEVER run again! 

When I posted my pictures to Facebook I had several friends comment that I should join Stroller Warriors®.  One was a friend with the Camp Pendleton chapter and another, a former Lejeune chapter member, who had since moved to Parris Island. I thought they were crazy but I went ahead and joined the group page. (Why did a non-runner, that never wanted to run again, join a RUNNING CLUB? Well, because her youngest child refused to be out of her sight and after trying to drop her off at the gym daycare for a year and a half only to have her scream for 15 minutes straight, ending with us having to leave the gym before my workout even began.) After a week of thinking on it, I decided to go to a workout. At that point I figured I had nothing to lose, at least I could walk and it was something I could do WITH my then almost 2 year old instead of sticking her in the gym daycare to scream. 

So I joined this running club, even though I wasn’t a runner and I hated running, but it wasn’t just ANY running club, it was Stroller Warriors, a running club for military spouses and it was unlike any other group I’d ever belonged to. I went to my first workout and my little one enjoyed the "friends" SO much. The kids were all immediate friends and loved getting together at the park after our runs, while the adults enjoyed the conversations after the workout. The club itself was full of encouraging friends that would make you believe you could do anything... even run a half marathon!

I kept going to the workouts, kept making friends, and kept running. Little by little I could run a little more and a little more. I could complete a mile without stopping and then two and then three and before you knew it I was signing up for races and the women of Stroller Warriors were encouraging me the whole way!

As a member of Stroller Warriors® I found myself. 

That whisper of a memory of the competitive athlete I once was - was no longer a whisper. In 2018 I became a chapter workout assistant and trained for and ran my first half marathon (although the original race that I was going to run - and had trained for - was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence, I was able to run a half with a group of warriors in December) and I am now training for my first marathon in 2019!

I am not exaggerating when I say that the Stroller Warriors Running Club changed my life - it has led me to a wonderful tribe in a place that is so far away from my own family, and pushed me to do hard things that I never thought I could do! 

With the welcoming of each new year, it seems it's tradition to reflect on the past year and either start working on your New Year's Resolution(s), usually in some form of self improvement, or perhaps think "Why bother? Some things just never change."

For 2019, I would encourage you to reflect on a word, one that just might change your whole prospective on this new year.

Opportunity.
A time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

This new year offers so many opportunities.

Opportunity for great things to come INTO your life.
Opportunity to LET GO of the things that need to go.

Opportunity to BELIEVE in yourself.
THIS is YOUR year.
What do you want to look back on in 365 days
and say with incredible pride...."YES! I TOTALLY ACCOMPLISHED THAT!"

I have no doubt that the only way I crossed the finish line at Marine Corps Marathon in 2016, 11 months post-Cesarean, with a bum right knee, was because I believed that I could!
(Plus lots of training miles - because there IS that ;))

If you believe it, you really can do it. It is not just some hokey catch phrase - the mind is such a POWERFUL thing and you truly aren't giving yourself enough credit.
You are strong - mentally and physically.
You are capable.
You are deserving.

So what is something you've considered trying, but didn't believe you could do?
Change your inner monologue and start telling yourself, not only that you can, but you WILL do it. Remind yourself often.
Make it your locked cell phone screen - how many times a day do you see that?! ;)
Write it on a note and place it by your bed side, on the bathroom mirror, and anywhere else that might continually remind you.
There will, without a doubt, be challenging days, so recruit some close friends and family to be in your corner and cheer you on; especially on the hard days.

Opportunity to take the time for YOU.
You know the saying... "You can't pour from an empty cup," and it's true.
Initially it seems selfish to take time for yourself, but once you start doing it, you see the value.
You realize that the self care actually results in a happier, healthier you!  Carve out time, start small if you need to, but treat it like any other appointment and commit to it.

Opportunity to say "no" to adding more commitments to your plate. Far too often we overwhelm ourselves and end up doing okay at all of our commitments rather than really GREAT at just a few. 

Opportunity to show your kids that life is short; be spontaneous and go for it! In the process you'll make lifelong memories you all will treasure.

Opportunity to get involved with or support an organization you feel passionate about. When we give to others, we feel so great about ourselves! 

Opportunity to set GOALS.
Opportunity to set a big, huge, crazy awesome goal and chase after it like you've never done before.
It will take time, but the time is going to pass anyway.

Be sure to be specific when setting a goal.
About 5 years ago I came across SMART goals.
Use the acronym to make your goal more clear, and thus more achievable.
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic
T - Time-Based
If it is a long term goal, be sure to break it down into a handful of short term goals.
Focusing on just 1 week at a time, so as to not get overwhelmed, can lead to big results.
For example, just running 3 miles a week, for 52 weeks, and you will have run more than 150 miles - surpassing the first milestone in Stroller Warriors Runopoly!

Opportunity to make PLANS. 
Fail to plan, plan to fail, right?! 
So many times we have such great intentions to do this, that or the other and yet we take no real action to make them become a reality. Take a step. Make a plan and set it into motion.
Like any good military family member should, be sure to have plans A, B, and C and be flexible as to which one you use. In fact, you might need to use a little of all three. Embrace it; the final destination is still possible and definitely worth the effort.
I put this into practice in 2018; I set a personal goal of 1 date night a month. Nothing fancy or stressful, just 4-5 kid free hours to hang out with just my husband. By using my plan, of texting my sitter at the first of every month to set it up... 8 of 12 months did indeed have a date night! They were such a gift to our marriage. While I didn't meet my goal at 100%, we both enjoyed the time so much that we will do the same in 2019.

Opportunity to focus on the POSITIVE.
Actively SEEK out the POSITIVE in EVERY situation. The negatives are so easy to spot... look past them this year and find the positives - they ARE there.

Happy New Year, Warriors!
Wishing you new and exciting opportunities each and every day this new year.
​~Paige

by Kim B.
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I have always been afraid to fail. I have always wanted to impress people. Failure was huge for me. So much that I wouldn’t even try.
 
I guess my motto of “do what scares you” really started when I met a friend who is an ultra-runner. She ran trails and did 50Ks and 50 milers. She was an incredible inspiration to me. I was always amazed at what she could get her body to do. She was getting ready to move and I had run my first marathon and my first trail race months before when she encouraged me to run a 50K ultra she was organizing from her house on base. It was going be small, just several of her ultra friends getting together to 'party' and run.

​Well, she kept asking me if I was going to run it and I kept trying to ignore her. I was terrified to fail! She finally talked me into it after telling me that everyone was going to be extremely encouraging and available for advice. Plus, another SW was going to be running it as her first ultra too. So, I started to train a little bit more since I had already done a marathon and was mostly ready to tackle some higher mileage. I ran some extra-long runs and even went out with fellow Stroller Warriors on the weekends. They kept asking me what I was training for. I would never tell them. I didn’t want people to know I was running it because, what if I failed? About a week before the race, I let it slip that I was running my first 50K. Well when the race came, there were several Stroller Warriors there. We would come back to the aid station and there would be another two warriors waiting to run a leg with us or they were there to cheer us on. It was amazing! I felt so silly worrying about whether or not I was going to fail at this because even if I didn’t finish I had the best support I could ever imagine. Well, I ended up completing that 50K. I had no idea that a 50K would inspire me to take on so much more in my life. Removing the fear of failure has opened up the door to so many amazing adventures in my life. 

​It hasn’t all been successes.  The summer of 2015, I decided I wanted to go back to school for my masters.  I loved the idea of becoming a special education teacher.  The hours would work for my kids and I could fulfill my dream of working with children with special needs.  To paint you a picture I will just say it was a crazy summer. Hank was gone on deployment and I had to take a general knowledge exam.  I’m not a test taker!  I mean major anxiety! I have never been a good test taker! 

​This exam had algebra and junior high grammar rules.  I won’t age myself by saying how long it has been since I had done these things, but let’s just say it’s been a long time.  So, I spent the entire summer studying by the pool while the kids played.  The day of the exam I was nervous, but I just knew this was the right path.  Let me just say I bombed it.  I mean I failed 2 out of 4 of the exams.  It was devastating.  I couldn’t understand how I had failed this badly after missing out on fun memories with my kids and studying so hard.  That failure was hard!  I had a few pity party days and then decided I needed a new plan.  It turns out, that failure was the best thing for me.  Because of that failure I found my way to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and have never been happier. 

​Because I was able to get over my fear of failure, I have founded a Stroller Warriors chapter at MacDill, started a new career, started grad school, ran three more 50K with one of them in the Everglades (can you say hello alligators and snakes?!) and another one alone. When I left MacDill, I told my fellow warriors to do what scares them. Don’t let fear of failure stop you from trying something new. You don’t realize what you were capable of until you do something out of your comfort zone. In my life I have missed so many opportunities because I was afraid to fail. These days I realize that might not have done it perfectly, but I did it! Your friends and your family are there to support you. Try it! Do something that scares you!  Get yourself out of that comfort zone and find those amazing adventures.

Spring is here! Many chapters are beginning to host their first Couch to 5K (C25K) training group for the year and in just 8 weeks time, it will be C25K Graduation race day! So many new runners are experiencing that runner's high and are subsequently being bitten HARD by the running bug.  We often hear, post C25K Graduation race, "so… now what?!"

Well, we'd love for you to consider jumping on the Stroller Warriors® Couch to Crazy train with your fellow warriors! Continue running regularly, and in time, train for a 10K, half marathon, and possibly, a full marathon? BUT before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk some logistics for such new, huge, crazy awesome personal goals!

*Not a C25K Grad, yet?! All of this information can be used for your first 5K too – so keep reading!*

When I read about Stroller Warriors® Camp Lejeune’s (SWCL) Couch to Crazy (C2C) Program in 2014, I could run a 5K, but running a 10K?!, now that felt like a big deal, and a half marathon - whew - that definitely sounded crazy! I wasn’t sure at the time, but training for a half marathon seemed like a great long-term goal for myself during my husband's 2nd deployment (and it totally WAS)!  To keep from freaking out about all of the miles, I set my sights on JUST the 10K goal.

Finding a Race!

This is a KEY first step for me, because without a solid race date, I am less likely to stick to the training plan. Lucky for me there was a local race with a HUGE SWCL presence coming up that had a 10K option… I had found my race AND I had time to train for it too.

How to Find YOUR Race?

-Ask in your Stroller Warriors® Chapter’s Facebook Page!
There are usually warriors who have lived at that duty station for a year or so and have run some really fun, well organized, awesome medaled races that they would love to share with you about.

-Check out the FILES section of your chapter’s Facebook page – some chapters may have a “Races File” that they keep up to date!  If your chapter doesn't have this file – consider starting one to share with the coordination staff.

-Find a race that is interesting to you & try to recruit some SW friends to join you! If you have enough fellow warriors who are interested, contact your chapter's coordination staff about contacting the race organizer about a discount. (usually a minimum of 10-20, but you’ll never know if you don’t ask!)

-Find a local running store and see if they have any flyers up or have any races they would recommend - Locals can be a great resource.

- Lastly, but always an option, check out www.runningintheusa.com

Choosing a Training Plan!

Now that you have chosen your race, it’s time to choose a training plan to prepare you, mind and body, for race day! There are many options, so I am just going to share the ones that I have come across over the years.  You’ll have to research each one and see what is going to be the best fit for you and your family life. Some require more time than others, so keep that in mind when choosing.

Some of the options focus on MILEAGE for each training day, others focus on how long (TIME) you are on your feet.  I personally preferred the mileage training plans because I needed to know (for my own sanity on race day) what the longest distance I had gone was.  There are also training plans that focus on HOW you are moving during that mileage or time… Are you running the whole time? Taking walk breaks at various intervals?, etc.  And, if you like to cross things off when complete, find a plan that you can print out vs. clicking "complete" on an app! Archaic, I know! ;)

- Hal Higdon 
- Run Coach 
- Hansons Method 
- Jeff Galloway - Run, Walk, Run Method 
- Various Apps (free and paid)  Nike, Under Armour, Zen Labs C25K app, etc.
- Ask your fellow Stroller Warriors® about THEIR favorite training plan and don’t forget to ask WHY… Chances are they have tried more than one, tweaked another, and found a good fit for them that you might want to consider!

For Marine Corps Marathon training, I chose a plan that only had me running three days a week, because with a 6-month-old who wasn't sleeping through the night, that was all I could muster up the energy for! For my long run on the weekends, I hired a babysitter so I didn’t have to depend on my husband, who traveled often, for childcare.  It was my weekly “me time” that I looked forward to. 
Do what you have to do, because YOUR huge, crazy, awesome goals ARE important and worth the extra effort!

Cross Training!

Sorry runners, but this is another, "find what works best for YOU!"  There are so many options to help you keep moving and loosening up on non-run days and they are SO important. If you haven’t done any cross training lately… let me encourage you, while I encourage myself ;), to add even just one day a week to start! Don’t fret when a training plan has 3 days and you only fit in one… one will be better than none! You will be stretching and strengthening muscles that you don’t use on run days and your body will thank you!

- Strength Training - Weights
- Swimming
- Yoga, Pilates, Barre
- Cycling
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
Don't forget about foam rolling - that can really help too!

I hope this has given you some options to consider on your journey to achieving Stroller Warriors® Couch to Crazy (and possibly beyond) status.

Crossing the finish line after each race you have trained for is priceless, so start looking for your next race to run and don’t look back! Cheers to training for and racing distances that you never thought possible!

-Paige

Not familiar with Couch to Crazy?!
The purpose of the Stroller Warriors® Couch to Crazy program is to encourage and guide you SW style to run a 5K race first, then a 10K race , and then a HALF MARATHON race! This program is set up to include runners of all abilities. Some of you may have never run a 5K or even dreamed that you could. Some of you may have run a 5K, but never any further. And some may have tackled the 10K distance but have not gone full on Couch to Crazy and run a half marathon. That's okay! Anyone is welcome to participate.
*The main point of Couch to Crazy is to encourage a progression...
Building up from a 5K to a 10K and finally to a half marathon, within a calendar year’s time.*
Contact your chapter's coordination staff for more information!