Action!

It's been a little over three months since I last posted here about my journey toward completing a half-marathon; I will say that over the last three months I have been wrestling through the "contemplation" "preparation" and "action" stages (see my previous post titled Stages of Change) and I am just now sure that it is safe to say "ACTION" with no turning back. Whew, that's a scary idea, but an exciting one!!

Training for any kind of athletic event is naturally difficult and challenging even for the most seasoned athlete. I wouldn't say that I'm naturally athletic with tons of granola-like energy for these kinds of things, in fact I really like to sit on the couch and watch Lifetime movies while playing games on my Ipad-so the decision to complete a 13.1 mile athletic event is not something I would choose to do without a method behind the madness! That "method" is exactly what I want to write about today! About two years ago I caught this bug and most of you who know me have probably heard me talk about it at some point (or at several points) over the last couple of years, that "bug" is the organization "Girls on the Run" (GOTR). In short Girls on the Run is an afterschool program designed to encourage and inspire young girls, ages 8-11, to "recognize her inner strength...and to define her life on her own terms". I've been involved with this program for two official seasons-both as a GOTR board member and as a GOTR coach. What this means first of all is that I am in mad-crazy love with this organization (mad-crazy enough to run a half-marathon) and most importantly that I have seen first hand the impact this program has on the lives of the girls who are able to participate!

The longer I am a part of this organization the more passionate I become about it, and about inspiring young girls to DEFINE their lives on their OWN terms! One of the best things about Girls on the Run is that we, as an organization, want any girl to participate despite ability to pay the $150.00 registration fee (the registration fee covers the necessities for the season including curriculum, materials, medals, t-shirts, volunteer recruitment, coach training and certification, coach background checks, healthy snacks, water bottles, 5k race registration, program management, etc). In order to allow all girls to participate despite income level or ability to pay GOTR does fundraising through out the year to build a scholarship fund that can be utilized by any girl who wants to participate but cannot afford the fee. On our registration form the girls (and their families) are simply asked to pay what they can whether it be $5.00 or the entire $150.00; the scholarship fund then absorbs the remainder of the cost. According to the GOTREI annual report our chapter served over 600 girls in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area and provided over $44,000.00 in scholarships in FY2012...so as you can see the program itself, and the scholarships provided are kind of a big deal!

One of the fundraising programs that GOTREI launched in 2012 was the Solemates adult charity running program; according to the annual report this program raised $10,000.00 in it's first year! And that, my friends, brings us full circle in my explaination of the method behind my madness! I CAUGHT THE BUG! And through my journey with Girls on the Run and with the Solemates program I want to help you catch the bug too, whether it's helping me to raise money for local girls by donating for my race, or the decision to sign up to participate in your own Solemates event! You could also consider becomeing GOTR coach...the possibilities are endless and I want you to feel the energy and spread the word!!

My three main goals for participating in Solemates:

1. To spread the word about Girls on the Run and all the awesome work the organization does for girls in THIS community and around the world. 

2. Complete the Des Moines half-marathon (13.1 miles) as an inspiration for the girls who participate in the program, locally and world-wide, to see what it means to set a goal in mind and work hard to achieve it, and to be inspired to do the same!

3. Raise money (my goal is $500.00) to benefit girls locally and pave the way for them to be able to participate in the program despite household income or ability to pay the registration fee.

Will you consider helping me out and making a tax-deductible donation? It's super easy to donate, here is a link to my fundraising site: https://www.raceplanner.com/donate/Vicky_Wieben_GOTR.  All funds that are donated go directly to Girls on the Run of Eastern Iowa to benefit girls locally in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area.  I will continue to blog about my own journey and about this organization! Thanks for your help!