SoleMates of the Summer: Sandra & Aminah
Mother
I became aware of GOTRC when my daughter Aminah was in 4th grade. Her school offered the program as an alternative sport for girls. I love track and field – I ran in college and have reconnected with running occasionally during my post-college years.
I personally wanted my daughter to be active into sports and running, as a sport has the best mental and physical effects. Additionally, I lost my husband two years prior and I knew that his death had a profound effect on Aminah. After her father’s death, Aminah became very shy and withdrawn. I turned to sport, activities and eventually running as a positive bereavement therapy for my two children and myself.
Since I was not employed at the time that GOTR was offered at my daughter’s school, I was able to volunteer my time with training the girls. We trained with about a dozen other girls in the spring of 2009 for 6 weeks (I think). On race day, I was as excited as she was to run our first ever 5k together. I thought it was a super awesome thing for each girl to share their race day experience with the participation of a parent, family member or loved one. Thus, the seed was planted: Aminah enjoyed her experience with Girls on the Run and continued to run in middle school whenever the opportunity was offered.
When Aminah entered high school, she joined the track team. When we learned that there was an opportunity for high school students at her school to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for charity, we both decided that we would do it together. It was a way for me to reinforce a good value to my children, that being, a way to pass on our good fortunes and blessings to someone else. In the words of Muhammad Ali – “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth”.
The summer of 2015 was a very exciting summer for me. My amazing daughter amazed me even more as we trained through the scorching summer heat. She was the one encouraging me when I wanted to give up (many, many many, many times—-because it hurt soooo much). It was that ripe window of opportunity to make memories for a lifetime. We would not have had the opportunity to share memorable moments and form a closer bond if we did not run together. On Sunday October 11, 2015, my daughter and I ran our first marathon together.
We look forward to training for our next marathon — maybe or maybe not. Perhaps, it might only be running a few more hundred miles together just for the fun of it.
~Sandra
Daughter
I joined Girls on the Run in 2009, when I was 9 years old and in the 4th grade. My mom thought it would be a good alternative to just sitting in after-school care and she wanted to introduce me to running, an activity she loved to do. I agreed to sign up since my mom was encouraging me to do it and a couple of my friends were also going to participate. Every Tuesday and Thursday, about a dozen 3rd through 5th grade girls met in my school’s library after school.
During our sessions, we did a lot of team exercises that involved talking to the other girls about the lesson topics and doing different physical activities led by our two coaches and my mom as a volunteer. Girls on the Run was great and never dull, compared to sitting around just waiting to be picked up. I looked forward to it every week. It was nice getting to know girls outside of my grade and talking about different issues and problems girls face. Getting physical exercise also made me feel really good. I think the fact that my mom was involved and the fact that she loved running made me enjoy the running even more.
All throughout our sessions, we were constantly reminded of the 5k run we would be participating in at the end of the program. I was completely freaked out about it. At the time, a 5k seemed as long as a marathon, and even though I was excited to run with my mom, I was also nervous because it was over 3 miles. I had never run a race that long. When race day finally came, my mom ran the whole race with me even though I kept stopping and complaining about how long it was. I may not have finished first like I had hoped, but I was so excited after crossing the finish line. I think training and doing the 5k with Girls on the Run gave me a huge confidence boost in my physical capabilities. After running the 5k, I felt like I could run any race and play any sport. My newfound confidence was the foundation of my running career and my motivation to continue running.
In 6th grade, I joined my school’s cross country team. We were a pretty small team – there were only about 6 of us, but I LOVED cross country practice. Our coach had us do different activities involving running around the local park. We did relay races and laps, and the work was tiring and a lot harder than Girls on the Run, but I loved it. I loved the feel of my feet pounding on the pavement, the burn in my legs, the satisfaction of finishing another lap without stopping. My training and 5k with Girls on the Run made me confident that I could do cross country and that motivation paired with my competitiveness kept me driven to keep going.
My first ever cross country race was in 2011. Again, I didn’t end up getting first place, but I was proud of myself because I kept running for most of the race, further building my confidence in my running abilities.
With all my running experience and confidence from middle school, I joined the Cross Country and Track & Field Team at my high school. During try outs, my coach placed me in the distance group and we trained through the fall and winter for indoor season. High school Cross Country and Track meets are a lot more serious, and you have mix of girls – especially the older ones – who look like professional runners. Throughout my time on the team, my primary races included the 800 meter race, the 1600 (1 mile) and 3200 (2 miles). Although I do love track, it’s much more competitive than even I enjoy. I like running just to run and don’t really do it to beat everyone.
I got an email from our dean about joining the school marathon team around December of 2014. I was instantly intrigued. As a runner, running the marathon is the biggest thing you can do. I was conflicted; on one hand, running a marathon was on my list of things to do before I die and joining the team would allow me to train, run, and raise money for a good organization. But a marathon is 26.2 MILES!! I had never run a race so long.
Several things eventually convinced me to run:
- My mom said if I signed up she would do it with me, just like the Girls on the Run 5k.
- Several of my friends were joining.
- I could do something I loved while simultaneously helping other people by running for a charity.
- I could cross something off my bucket list.
- I thought training would help build my confidence more, and help my endurance in track.
I realized that this was just like when I was 9 years old and the Girls on the Run 5k seemed impossible. At 15, the same thing was happening again. The marathon seemed impossible too. If I could run a 5k at 9 years old, why couldn’t I also run a marathon? Reflecting on experience with Girls on the Run was the final push I needed to sign up for the team.
Training and running the 2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon was one of the best experiences of my life. While training, I raised money for kids in Africa in dire need of clean water, a luxury many of us take for granted in more developed countries. I got to train and bond with my mother. I checked an item off my bucket list as a runner. Most importantly, I grew as a runner and a person. Training to run 26.2 miles is physically and mentally exhausting, but you come out better on the other side of it.
Let me be clear: getting through 12 miles on a hot summer day in July is not easy. You have to develop a positive mindset throughout training because the miles can seem like they stretch out forever. You have to keep the end goal in mind while running, keep pushing yourself, test your boundaries, see how much pain you can take, pull through to the finish, and most importantly, believe in yourself. All the confidence I gained from girls on the Run forward helped me push through training and grow as a runner.
On Sunday, October 11th, 2015, I ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, finishing in 5 hours and 56 minutes, as the 34,313th person to cross the finish line (YAY!!!). Running the marathon was grueling, and I was sore for a week afterwards, but the pain was a constant reminder of my humongous accomplishment. I would have never ran the marathon or become a runner if not for the foundational role Girls on the Run played in my journey as a runner. I am eternally grateful for the role that Girls on the Run plays in my life and the lives of girls across the globe.
~ Aminah
“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”
Participating in an endurance event this year? Join Team Girls on the Run and help empower the next generation of women with the power of #ICan!
gotrchicago.wordpress.com 