Girls take a run at fitness

Tell the girls who participate in the Girls on the Run at Timber Trails Elementary School in Bartlett that exercising is boring and they'd say "no way."

Then, they'd probably tell you why everyone their age should join.

Girls on the Run is a national nonprofit program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The 12-week program, in its second year at Timber Trails, was inaugurated by school nurse Maureen Meyer. It culminates in a 5K run at the Montrose Harbor Beach House in Chicago on Sunday.

"I'm a runner myself and I was actually at a marathon when I saw a booth with information on this," she said. Meyer had previously instituted a running club when she worked at Parkwood Elementary School in Hanover Park, but when she saw the Girls on the Run literature realized that this program was much more structured and educational.

Timber Trails began the program in spring 2007 with 10 participants in grades 3 through 5. Joan Burnett was Meyer's assistant. This year, the enrollment has burgeoned to 20, requiring Meyer to recruit additional coaches - Lisa Burrell, Teresa Andrade and Natalie Dazzo.

"It has been a learning curve doing this," Meyer said, admitting that handling double the number of girls this spring is much more challenging.

Although the emphasis is on running, there is an educational component that emphasizes social and personal skills through games and activities. For each session, the girls do a short warm-up and stretching, with a designated student leader, followed by some games related to the day's theme. Topics include healthy eating, peer pressure and bullying. Then comes running, which for the Timber Trails team is around a half-mile course at Kelley Park, just to the east of the school. Three of the coaches run with the girls while two others staff a water station, count laps and encourage them to keep going.

"I don't think they realize that they're learning things," Meyer said. The social lessons, however, are sinking in. "It has helped me change because sometimes you are doing something bad and you don't even know you are doing it," said Citali Sanchez.

Added Heather Heffernan, "I've stood up for people because of what I've learned." Not surprisingly, many of the Timber Trails team members are involved in other athletic pursuits, including soccer, gymnastics, softball, karate, tennis, volleyball, and dance. Yet, Meyer installs a feminine aspect to the workouts.

"We do such girlie things and they just love it," she said. For example, upon completing a lap around the park, each girl received a colorful pipe cleaner, as well as a paper clip for each lap run. By the end of a session, many of the pipe cleaners were twisted into makeshift ear cuffs, bracelets and necklaces.

"Every day is just a fun day here," said Mikayla Chen. "When I exercise more, I sleep better."