On the go with Rich – Girls on the Run
BY RICH PALZEWIC
EDITOR
Girls on the run is fun!
I’m not just saying this because I grew up with six sisters but because it really is fun.
About two months ago, I was approached to inquire about my daughter Francesca joining a running club at her school called Girls on the run (GOTR). Not knowing too much about it, I learned more by asking the leader of the group, Patty Graul.
Patty herself has a daughter in the program and has run several marathons and half marathons in her life. I have known Patty for several years, and she has an endless supply of energy and positive vibes.
Since I wanted to get a bit more exercise and spend some more quality time with my daughter, it was a no-brainer for me.
Every Monday and Wednesday after school for an hour and a half, I join the group to get some quality exercise and learn about staying positive, working on your self-image and having a good time.
The culmination of the program will be a 5k run in early November. I will be my daughter’s buddy in the 5k, so we are looking forward to that. I have seen improvement in her running and she genuinely seems to enjoy it. Our goal is to run – albeit maybe slowly – the entire race.
Everyone had to come up with a GOTR name, which was fun in itself. Each person had to think of an adjective that starts with the first letter of their name. For example, mine is radical Rich. Maybe I’m not that radical, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time. Other examples are friendly Francesca, athletic Addison, optimistic Olivia and zooming Zoe.
There isn’t any negative talk allowed – it’s all positive. It’s a program that not only gets the girls more active but more importantly, it makes them feel empowered. In this day and age of bullying in schools, it’s nice to see a group come together to make a change.
We always end the day by doing some sort of GOTR cheer in a circle. I’m not very coordinated when it comes to that sort of thing, but I do my best.