By Paige D.
Globally, Stroller Warriors Running Club has countless members, who set and achieve a variety of challenging running goals, each and every year!
Meet Gaby, a member of Stroller Warriors Okinawa, who, like many of our amazing members, learned of our Couch to Crazy (C2C) Program at a workout and in time… decided to go for it! Her success story will inspire you to ask yourself... why not me?!
New members, like Gaby, often watch their fellow warriors who are training for longer distances and begin to think to themselves… "Maybe I could do it too?!" It is THEN, that the power of Stroller Warriors encouragement, support and a can-do attitude kicks in! Runners of all running backgrounds realize that they actually can and soon will achieve their big, huge crazy awesome goal(s)!
Globally, Stroller Warriors Running Club has countless members, who set and achieve a variety of challenging running goals, each and every year!
Meet Gaby, a member of Stroller Warriors Okinawa, who, like many of our amazing members, learned of our Couch to Crazy (C2C) Program at a workout and in time… decided to go for it! Her success story will inspire you to ask yourself... why not me?!
New members, like Gaby, often watch their fellow warriors who are training for longer distances and begin to think to themselves… "Maybe I could do it too?!" It is THEN, that the power of Stroller Warriors encouragement, support and a can-do attitude kicks in! Runners of all running backgrounds realize that they actually can and soon will achieve their big, huge crazy awesome goal(s)!
Couch to 5K Graduation Race! Gaby’s C2C journey began in early 2015 when she joined a SW Okinawa Couch to 5K (C25K) group and before she knew it, it was graduation race day! Her husband, Genaro, ran with her, pushing their daughter, Liliana, making it a family affair! She continued to run 5K races for the next year and even ran a Mommy Daughter Dash (1 Miler) with her daughter before she began to train to achieve the 10K distance. Just three months after her 10K Graduation Race, she completed the Ayahashi Half Marathon race with many of her fellow Stroller Warriors! Couch to Crazy – CHECK!
 Bridge to 10K Graduation Race! |  Ayahashi Half Marathon! C2C... CHECK! |
But her story doesn’t end there….
It was her mom that had given her the initial push to start running and in time her mom began encouraging her to push farther than her original C2C goal… to go for the challenge of the marathon distance! Gaby had hoped to continue with the SW Okinawa half marathon training group to train for and run the Naha Marathon, unfortunately, she wasn’t chosen for the lottery so she would have to wait. More waiting would come in the form of a pneumonia diagnosis; which took many months to recover from, but the marathon goal was still on her mind. It was the encouragement and convincing of another member, Sarah, that helped her to decide to start training again… this time for the marathon distance. On marathon race day, it was her husband’s support, popping up in random places throughout the course, and the support and encouragement of fellow warriors from the start line to the finish line, that made it an unforgettable experience!
It was her mom that had given her the initial push to start running and in time her mom began encouraging her to push farther than her original C2C goal… to go for the challenge of the marathon distance! Gaby had hoped to continue with the SW Okinawa half marathon training group to train for and run the Naha Marathon, unfortunately, she wasn’t chosen for the lottery so she would have to wait. More waiting would come in the form of a pneumonia diagnosis; which took many months to recover from, but the marathon goal was still on her mind. It was the encouragement and convincing of another member, Sarah, that helped her to decide to start training again… this time for the marathon distance. On marathon race day, it was her husband’s support, popping up in random places throughout the course, and the support and encouragement of fellow warriors from the start line to the finish line, that made it an unforgettable experience!
Gaby finishing the 2018 Okinawa Marathon!
In just three years’ time, Gaby not only said mission accomplished to Couch to Crazy, but she went on to successfully achieve her goal of completing a FULL marathon race in February 2018, the Okinawa City Marathon! All of the races she has run have each been special in their own way, but crossing the finish line of the marathon and seeing how far she had come was the “best feeling ever!” She added… “I'm not going to lie, it wasn't easy, but it can be done if you want it and believe in yourself.” So much truth there!
3 YEARS of determination & hard work! Congratulations Gaby!
When Gaby isn’t running, being mom and wife, she enjoys reading, knitting, sewing and making bows. Her best piece of advice for a new runner? “Be patient, set a goal and find the right shoes.”
Thank you, Gaby, for allowing us to spotlight your Couch to Crazy + Marathon journey! Congratulations Gaby!! We are so proud of your determination; you are an inspiration to us all!!
Have YOU considered going “Couch to Crazy” with your fellow Stroller Warriors? We assure you that the sense of accomplishment and the countless memories it will bring are truly priceless… C25K truly IS just the beginning!
To learn more about the Stroller Warriors Couch to Crazy Program (training for and running a 5K race, then a 10K race, and finally a half marathon race, in that order, within a 12 month period) contact your chapter's coordinator!
Thank you, Gaby, for allowing us to spotlight your Couch to Crazy + Marathon journey! Congratulations Gaby!! We are so proud of your determination; you are an inspiration to us all!!
Have YOU considered going “Couch to Crazy” with your fellow Stroller Warriors? We assure you that the sense of accomplishment and the countless memories it will bring are truly priceless… C25K truly IS just the beginning!
To learn more about the Stroller Warriors Couch to Crazy Program (training for and running a 5K race, then a 10K race, and finally a half marathon race, in that order, within a 12 month period) contact your chapter's coordinator!
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