Last week, I posted a bit about my whirlwind trip to Austin, Texas, for a national conference for Girls on the Run. I’m still pumped from hearing from the powerful women who are influencing the next generation and educating girls to be healthy mentally and physically. In three short days, I had a chance to hear from accomplished athlete/hero and Girls on the Run founder Molly Barker, author/athlete and well-known coach Jenny Hadfield, author/athlete and inspirational mom Kristin Armstrong. Plus numerous experts in the fields of fitness, psychology and other areas. I came away inspired and grateful to represent Garmin when surrounded by like-minded runner types.
On day one, a member of the Girls on the Run staff came up to me and proceeded to tell me she was addicted to her Forerunner 405, which she received at Christmas. She finds it makes her run faster and motivates her to go the extra mile. And she loves how it zips her data to Garmin Connect so she can dive right in and analyze her stats when she gets to her computer. Day two, met a triathlete who helps with the GOTR program in St. Louis. She said she bought the 405 as soon as it came out and now has her sights set on the waterproof, long battery life Forerunner 310XT.
Later in day two, I had a chance to run with Coach Jenny Hadfield and my friend Cheryl along the Austin Town Lake path. See our run in Garmin Connect. In that cool way that runners tend to knock down boundaries, our threesome shared stories ranging from Jenny’s eco-Challenge adventures to our personal marathon experiences to the joys of coaching kids. Day three, I met some representatives from Horizon Fitness, sponsors of GOTR’s charity runner program. In a 20-second elevator ride, one of them told me how much she absolutely adores her Forerunner and can’t run without it. I can absolutely relate. It’s been five years since I started running, and thanks to having that motivating feedback from Forerunner every step of the way, I haven’t looked back since.
