Fifteen years ago if you had asked me that question I would have come back with a whole host of responses.  “I’m Molly.  I’m a runner.  I’m a woman. I’m a terrible cook.  I’m messy.  I’m married. I am an educator.”  That list could go on and on.

Today when asked that question I would comfortably land on a response that back then would
have appeared meaningless and frankly, I’d have thought, a little bit “whoo whoo.”

Who am I?   I respond simply “I am.”

The older I get the more aware I become of how often we define ourselves by the physical forms, circumstances and people around us.  “I am fit.  I am rich.  I am married.”

The interesting thing to consider, though, is the same person who can now say that “I am the founder of Girls on the Run, I am 49 years old and I am single” was at one time the same person who said, “I race road bikes, I am 35 years old and I am married.”  The form, circumstances and people in our lives change, but the one constant is the me inside there, going along for the ride.

Take a look in the mirror sometime.  Sure…you see a body, some eyes, the reflection of the room behind you…but down inside the physical form reflected in the mirror…lives the YOU inside of there.  The you that stays constant, is forever present and knowing life through the experience we call being human.

When I focus on the me in there, an internal kind of giggle bubbles up.  When I stop thinking, I can literally feel the essence of the me riding around inside.  Call me crazy, but the incessant talk that goes on all the time (yes we all have it)…well…someone has to listen to it.  Who listens?  I do…the I that never changes.  The I inside.  The I hitching a ride for the length of time my body is in existence. The thoughts change because of the context, experiences and circumstances around me, but the me who listens, never does.

To experience the essence of you…try this small experiment this week.  When referencing your body, remove the possessive from your sentence.  For example, instead of saying “I am tired,” try saying “the body is tired.”   Instead of saying “I feel hungry,” say “the body feels hungry.”

Women, in our culture, identify so much of our essence, being, selves with the body.  See how you respond or don’t respond when you say “the body is stuffed” rather than “I am stuffed.” See what happens when you say “the head hurts” rather than “I have a headache.”  The need to identify ourselves with the physical form slips away and we can more objectively observe the body as something to experience, nurture, care for and appreciate.  We no longer identify our worth with the physical.

This ability to observe how we internalize, bring in and identify with the messages of the outside world is at the core of what Girls on the Run is all about.  We help girls to become “the boss of their own brains.”  We give girls the tools to step back from the whirling world around and examine with open eyes, the messages they not only receive from “out there”, but turn into those they hear on the inside.  The outside world requires that we fill in the blank “I am…”with a descriptor of our physical manifestation whereas Girls on the Run gives girls the freedom to not only NOT fill in the blank but remove the blank altogether and simply know the joy of being.

This is deep stuff.  I’m not sure I would have “gotten it” when I was younger…heck even just a year ago.    But I’d like you to give it a try. Lean into it.  Trust the process.  Let me know how speaking of your body in the third person feels.  Does it make you laugh?  Does it feel weird?  Does it allow you to see that you are NOT your body, but the spirit that resides within?  Does the body become something you appreciate?  Let me know at molly@girlsontherun.org.

Are YOU a person who wants to help girls grow to reach for their full potential?  If so, I’d love to talk to you about getting involved.  To coach, you would need to be able volunteer for 2 hours a week (2 days a week for an hour each time) in the timeframe of after-school (2:00 or 3:00).  Call me and we can talk about it:  Joanne Crosetti 530/333-3500.

Happy Summer to all.  See you in the Fall.  Season starts around September 20.

23’56 – Ronelle Pedrano

24’02 – Marie Swain

24’35 – Sarah Thorne

24’40 – Lauren Anspacin

26’26 – Jessica Depree

27’24 – Elizabeth Rose

28’01 - Valeria Martinez

28’11 – Amy Tejada

28’14 – Scotti Murphy

28’37 – Sarah Schaper

28’46 – Kayla Warner

28’46 – Brittany Wright

30’30 – Chrissy Edginton

30’40 – Holly Tower

31’00 – Savana Handin

31’06 – Maghan Maberry

31’25 – Madison Dodds

31’27 – Kiley Wood

31’37 – Samantha Renaud

31’53 – Sarah Grayson

32’10 – Areli Espinoza

32’10 – Kelly Espinoza

32’11 – Hannah Drechsel

32’11 – Shay Warren

32’34 – Ashley Maclean

32’36 – Summer Rainey

32’48 – Bianca Benner

32’51 – Savannah Thompson

32’52 – Mariah Parker

33’24 – Hayden McNutt

33’24 – Hailey Perez

33’28 – Sayla Mussmann

34’12 – Madeline Overton

34’45 – Haley Earnest

35’52 – Meghan Bergwall

36’19 – Hannah Hyatt

36’23 – Kailey Wilson

37’23 – Tania Nunez

37’24 – Jordan Verdugo

37’28 – Kaitlyn Harrington

37’34 – Kaitlyn Mussmann

37’46 – Samara Pearson

38’03 – Abigail Stalker

38’29 – Sarah Cochren

38’29 – Dakota Bishop

38’38 – Autumn Monson

39’36 – Destiny Ciceu

39’54 – Courtney Warren

39’54 – Madison Molgaard

40’15 – Emma Dooley

40’24 – Ashton Neman

40’26 – Brooke Macgregor

40’49 – Sadie Lewis

40’59 – Isabella Elizarraras

41’10 – Taylor Hill

41’11 – Shaina Benner

41’12 – Avery Jones

41’17 – Kaiya Saelee

41’17 – Sarah Blalock

41’22 – Colleen Delago

42’12 – Analyse Melby

42’25 – Zoe Talkington

42’41 – Taleigh Glass

44’13 – Ella Hebrard

44’13 – Katie Cook

44’34 – Alyssa Pauling

44’38 – Caitlin Kizer

44’40 – Lexie Allen

44’42 – Jennifer Valdez

45’05 – Leslie Edwards

45’27 – Jessica Hogan

45’34 – Cassidy Harguth

45’41 – Mikayla Ciceu

45’47 – Saige Pyle

45’54 – Lexi Grade

45’54 – Amaya Chase

45’59 – Karlee Maberry

47’07 – Isabel Chavez

47’08 – Taya York

47’08 – Gracie Sawyers

47’15 – Natalie Lesner

47’25 – Aspen Goforth

47’26 – Katelyn Burns

47’36 – Deanna Valdez

47’37 – Alexis Gould

48’08 – Anabella Crosetti

48’10 – Katie Hughes

48’20 – Deirdre Spillane

48’53 – Kristina Burk

48’54 – Zoe Hamilton

49’00 – Emily Bellomo

49’00 – Kirra Covington

49’00 – Brooke Niemer

49’07 – Velvet Sharpe

49’09 – Winter Clavell

49’14 – Alison Burdett

49’35 – Jaki Batman

50’18 – Ayla Clark

50’19 – Tayelor Poyadue

51’20 – Alyssa Packer

51’22 – Rachael Allen

52’04 – Aliyah Hocker

52’05 – Jordan Reid

52’05 – Savannah Sanderson

54’05 – Ryeley Karmann

54’47 – Christina Balding

55’00 – Esther Naya

59’45 – Caitlyn Parks

1:02’53 – Amaya Pauling

1:02’55 – Natasha Wilson

This is our largest season yet with 150 (approx) girls in the program.  We have 18 awesome women who are volunteering their time to bring Girls On The Run to life at each school location and we are so grateful.

So….let us give a cheer for this wonderful program and these wonderful women.  The impact that this program is having on young girls will be seen in years to come as these girls learn to reach for their full potential and become the beautiful, confident, women that they are meant to be.

SO….1-2-3 Cheer:  GIRLS ON THE RUN IS SO MUCH FUN!

It was a day of victory, celebration, and spirit!  I am so proud of all you girls.  3 miles is a long distance – and each of these girls “toughed-it-out” and made it across the finish line.

I am also proud of the men and women who volunteered their time to come out on a cold morning to cheer for the girls, to run with them and keep them inspired to “go-the-distance.”  They received nothing but the wonderful feeling that you get when you are there to see the glow on a girls face as she receives her medal and realizes that she is a runner and an athlete.

As coaches we are proud.  As parents, we are proud.  As community members, we are proud.  As mentors, we are proud.

You girls are lit from within – and your light will shine on our community.

Thank you for being a part of the Girls On The Run family.