I was excited last week because I was asked to present at a Girls on the Run conference in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in October. The conference is for women only and is put on by Girls on the Run of Western Colorado. I will be talking about tips for training for and completing a full or half marathon.
I think most of you are familiar with GOTR – they are a nationwide program to help girls ages 8 to 13 train (emotionally and physically) for their first 5K. The primary goal is to encourage young girls build self esteem and confidence and to develop healthy peer relationships and body images through running.
Even though I started running at a later age, I can attest to how much confidence and happiness running has given me. What a gift to pass onto a young girl. If you are interested in volunteering for this incredible organization – check out their website HERE. Or, if you’d like more info on attending this event because you like the mountains, getting away from your kids and being around like-minded runners (including me), go HERE for details.
Now, onto my morning. I may have a problem because as much as I like yoga and biking (and hate swimming), all I really want to do is run. But, after my tempo run yesterday, my knee was kind of sore again. I knew I had to be a SASA. I decided the next best thing to running would be to hop on my bike and do a challenging ride on this crappy morning in Colorado:
Rabbit Mountain is just a 20 mile out and back from my house, but the first half has some climbing.
This place used to be called “Rattlesnake Mountain,” but I think they changed it because lots of people have ophidiophobia – the fear of snakes – and would not visit this place with a name like that. So they changed it to Rabbit Mountain because a far as I know the fear of rabbits – leporiphobia – is much more rare.
YES!! There is a phobia name dedicated to people who are afraid of rabbits! Who knew! And, I’m not talking the freaky dressed up Easter bunny kind of rabbits, but little adorable rabbits. (For those of you who are wondering, there is not a name for a fear of farts, but only a fear of fecal matter – coprophobia. The Internet is a powerful research tool).
Fact is, there are still as many snakes here, but people just don’t know it or they’re too busy hunting wabbits.
There is some casual climbing in the beginning of the ride, then one last grunt to the top:
It’s really pretty up here and I’d live here if I didn’t have leporiphobia.
The ride down is an adrenaline rush. Speed limit = 35 mph. My speed = 41 mph. I love being a rebel, but I was secretly hoping to be handcuffed.
Are you familiar with Girls o the Run? Have you or your girl ever been a part of it? We don’t have a chapter at Emma’s school and I did consider becoming a coach. Just haven’t done it yet. I think it is fantastic though!
Do you have any phobias? Mine is emetophobia – fear of vomit. Not me vomiting so much as other people.
What’s your next best favorite thing to do if you can’t run?
SUAR