Finding My Stroller Warriors ® Elsewhere Family

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?  This question evokes many thoughts in multiple domains in my life…it is an important question, and one that opens a mind to change, welcomes adaptation, and most importantly, promotes resiliency.  I first heard this question from our former neighbors and close friends, who are a Royal Air Force (RAF) family. 
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Fitness, specifically running, has always been my “go to” choice to find my circle of love-- my family at each military assignment, my trail-running buddies, and my fellow moms who train for races with their kids and who wake before dawn on weekends to accomplish those long training runs.  I have been a Stroller Warrior since 2014-- beginning with Ramstein, to Fort Belvoir, and currently a member of Elsewhere.  Elsewhere…it takes some work as you are without a prebuilt running and friend network.  What is the Stroller Warriors® Elsewhere Chapter?  It is a virtual Stroller Warriors chapter for us Stroller Warrior members that no longer belong to a physical chapter-- an avenue to stay connected to our teammates, seek advice, channel motivation to run, and to meet up with Stroller Warrior members at non-chapter locations. 

In 2019, our family received orders to Shaw AFB in Sumter, SC.  I immediately jumped on the computer and searched to check for a Stroller Warriors Chapter at Shaw AFB.  Though I was deeply saddened to learn there was no chapter here; luckily, a friend from an earlier assignment connected me with her childhood/college friend, Jess.  Jess, like me, had two very common passions- running, and Germany (we were both stationed in Germany at different times).  We hit it off right away, running at 5AM before the sun was blazing, and most importantly, our families became close family friends.  

​Meanwhile, we also quickly became close family friends with our RAF neighbors.  Eventually, we all fused together to form our local neighborhood running group, and this resulted from a “perfect storm” of a hurricane coming through South Carolina while I ran the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland with one of my very close Stroller Warrior Ramstein friends.  My family and I feared that our beloved trampoline would be tossed like a frisbee by the hurricane (yes, they actually can fly with enough wind)…so, when Jess called to ask if we needed anything done to our house while we were across the Atlantic my only thought was to “anchor the trampoline!”  While my family enjoyed the Alps with our Stroller Warrior friend/family, eating fondue and frolicking through mountain meadows, Jess quickly hustled to our house, meeting our RAF friends Phil and Beth in the backyard to use our CrossFit equipment (45lbs plates and kettlebells) to anchor the trampoline as the hurricane’s roll clouds rapidly approached!  The proverbial “silver lining” of this storm was the birth of my neighborhood running crew, and what I consider to be my Stroller Warriors Elsewhere family.  

​So…what could I do if I knew I could not fail?  I could run multiple ultra-marathons!  Phil, Beth, Jess, and Chris (Jess’ husband) were all about completing South Carolina’s vibrant trail race and ultra-marathon circuit.  We often found ourselves heading out on Friday nights to spend the weekend in the woods pounding out miles on trail, and having a great time doing it!  The kids were always along for the adventure, exploring the woods, playing in the dirt, skipping rocks on lakes, and running alongside us for short distances.  

This was our crew, this was (and still is) my Elsewhere.  As Phil, Beth, and their kids returned to the UK, and as we PCS in two days, I am forever grateful for this Elsewhere crew, and again, though we are in different locations, the bond we made will forever be in my heart, and will be my motivation. 
 
Have you been a member of Stroller Warriors® Elsewhere?  How have you met your Elsewhere team?  


Happy Running!
-Rose :)