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One Little Race

Kristine Binder

When I began running I was only running 5k races. I got a flyer for a Wondergirl race and decided to run it. Little did I know how much that one 5K race would change the course of my life.

The race was sponsored by Girls on the Run. It was a 5K to culminate their training program for young girls. I was just running it as another race and because it looked fun. And boy was it fun!  The Girl Power that  day was overpowering!  It was amazing. I was hooked. I had to find out more about this program.

 I spent the next year working with and learning more about the Girls on the Run program. I was so excited about the positive messages for all girls that 2 years after running that 5K I was starting my own GOTR program at my own school.

Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and preparing girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. GOTR utilizes a specifically designed tested curriculum for third, fourth and fifth grade girls to enhance the physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of each participant. The following life lessons are covered in the 10 week program:

• Learning to develop an understanding of ones self

• Setting personal goals for nutrition and exercise

• Understanding the importance of being physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy

• Understanding core values and what makes us unique

• Getting along within a group

• Knowing the importance if listening, assertiveness, and the importance of being positive

• Learning the components of good decision making

• Letting go of negative feelings and situations

• Understanding the nature of social messages we receive through he media and other institutions

• Recognizing the damage the stereotyping, gossip and discriminatory behavior can cause

Each of these lessons is taught while implementing a physical activity. By the end of the 10 weeks, the girls will run/walk 3.1 miles in the WonderGirl 5K fun run. It is the goal that girls will complete the program with a stronger sense of identity, a greater acceptance of themselves, a healthier body image and an understanding of what it means to be part of a team.

We decided as a school that it would be best to start the program for 3rd graders only as there were no extra curricular programs for this age group. We started small, just another teacher and myself and 10 girls. the program has snowballed over 4 years to 40 girls and 6 coaches.

I get excited each time we meet with the girls. They are filled with passion and energy that is explosive and contagious! Watching each girl cross the finish line makes me cry. I relive my own first finish line. I know their lives will never be the same. I know that GOTR not only changes the lives of the girls but of their families as well. Family members see these girls with new eyes. No one is ever the same.

Molly Barker, the founder of GOTR is a visionary. She saw a need and created a lifechanging program to fill that need. Her program changes the direction of so many people…including me. I took the road less traveled…and am forever changed.

Change…

Kristine Binder

Change. We all fear it at some point in our lives. Change, while it can bring wonderful results, is also scary. I have always been fearful of change, fearful of the unknown. Change requires risk and trust. Over time I have realized that change is not to be feared but welcomed. I realized that I take a risk with every decision I make for my family and for myself. Life is full of uncertainties and I am never certain I am doing the right thing. I take a risk each morning when I get out of bed. Each day is a blank canvas. Each day is a new opportunity to do something different. Only when we open our hearts and minds, allowing ourselves to trust, do we see the miracles that surround us. Miracles that surprise us, inspire us, change us. Moments that fill us with awe and wonder. Moments that remind us of God’s presence among us.

This year…ok…for TODAY…alter your attitude. Change the way you think about something. Change the way you view something. See how your attitude about it changes. Peace.

One step at a time

Kristine Binder

Lots of people as me how I started running. One step at a time I tell them. Really that is how I started …that and a few dares!
We got a new dog a few years back. She was a puppy with all the energy of a toddler and no place to expend said energy. Thus we started our daily walks. I thought this would be great exercise for me and a good way to wear her out. We would walk a lap or 2 around the park. Weeks went by and I was not breaking a sweat and she had energy to spare so I started jogging from one tree to another on part of our loop. It wasn’t much but she seemed to like it. Each week I extended the distance to a further tree. Then came the dare.
I buddy of mine dared me to run a 5K….really? 3 miles?! I couldn’t run a lap much less 3 miles but not one to back down…I agreed. I training using the Couch to 5K program all summer long. My goal race was the local Turkey Trot. I ran and WALKED a lot that summer and when the weather was cool enough took the puppy along. It was good for both of us.
Fall came and so did the race. I realized that the race was not really timed so I signed up for one the weekend before, another local Turkey Trot. My kids came out to cheer me on. It was a chilly morning but I did it! I ran (and walked a bit) a 5K! I crossed that first finish line crying like a baby. I didn’t think I could ever do something like move for 30 minutes straight! I ran the other TT the following week and amazed myself again! What was I doing?!
I continued to run 5k’s through the following spring and summer only to be challenged again in the fall. My cousin (also one of my very best friends) threw down the gauntlet. She said if I would train for a half marathon, she would pay for my entry fee. My parents gave me the gift of airfare for Christmas and another adventure was born. I trained through the cold Chicago winter and in March flew to Virginia Beach and ran the Shamrock Half Marathon. It was another milestone in the journey.
What next, you ask….well…..a full marathon. What else?! Really? Who am I kidding. I was as stunned as the next person the night I registered for the Chicago Marathon and hit the send button. It is a pretty daunting task to think about running 26.2 miles. So….I was not going to lose my money. I found the Hal Higdon training plan and set off on preparing for the longest run of my life. the training was never easy. It was rarely fun. I was alone A LOT. My ipod kept me company but I didn’t have anyone to ask advice or council me on what I was doing right/wrong. I was a total trail and error runner….well…I really didn’t think of myself as a runner. I felt like an impostor. Just someone who looked like a runner sometimes.
I saw some of the same faces on the trail each Saturday when I ran. I just would notice the same folks passing me by making it look effortless and think…Really? They are chatting and laughing! I am struggling to get my breath!
So I lined up and ran my first marathon. Crossing the finish line was life changing for me. (more on that in another post) I was on a path that I never saw coming. I was at a fork in the road and I took the road less traveled for a person like me.
So here I sit….3 marathons, several half marathons and countless other races under my belt and I am still excited to run. I look forward to lacing up my shoes and hitting the road less traveled. I do not know what adventure lies ahead along the road but what I do know is this…my life and running will evolve one step at a time.

Peace.

Meet Esther

Kristine Binder

Meet Esther. She is my new friend and mentor. A dear friend introduced her to me and we are going to become good pals this year…I just know it.

To me Esther is a reminder of many things…

  • to quiet the negative voices in my head.
  • to stop talking and listen.
  • to be still and listen to my body.
  • to think before I speak.
  • to choose my words…perhaps saying nothing.
  • More things will come to mind I am sure!

Esther is strong, powerful and quiet. She was a force to be reckoned with in the Bible. I am hoping she helps me to be the same and reveals more as we get to know each other. I hope you find a friend and mentor this year. One that helps you grow and change helping you to become the best you can be! Peace.

New Year = New Goals

Kristine Binder


It is January and time to begin a new year with new goals. I dislike calling them resolutions because I never live up to my resolutions. Goals, however, I like. They are concrete and I can see myself getting closer or further from the goal with each passing day.

So here are some of my goals for this year in no particular order:
1. Maintain a level of ‘half marathon ready’ fitness. This means keeping the long runs up and and weekly mileage at a consistent level. No slacking off!
2. Finish another Chicago marathon. Enough said.
3. Lead another group of runners through the training process of CARA and prep them for the Chicago Marathon.
4. Work towards being a kinder, gentler mom and teacher.
5. Continue to share the joy and positive message of Girls on the Run.
6. Inspire others to do more and be more than they thought possible.

I do not know who will read this blog but my plan is to try and post several times a week. I will share my journey as a prepare for and run races of all distances this year. I hope that through these posts that some will be inspired to do more and be more than they thought possible!

What are your goals for the year? What do you want to accomplish this year? We have 364 more days …..
 Peace.