• Atlanta Mission 5K: Atlanta, GA. Saturday, January 28, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Mission and their race to end homelessness. For more information and to register, click here.
• Frosty Fun 5K: Brookhaven, GA. Saturday, January 28, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. This family 5K benefits  Kindred Spirit, an Atlanta based Christian residential home for pregnant teens. For more information and to register, click here.
• Tartan Trot 5K/1K: Dunwoody, GA. Saturday, January 28, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit St. Luke’s Youth Missions and Outreach Partners. For more information and to register, click here.

Additionally, check out this great ticket offer from the Hawks! Click on the image below to order tickets. Password: ksalmonsen

We’re looking for 50-100 runners to join our team at the Publix Marathon and Half Marathon on March 18, 2012.

No cost to you and lots of perks:

• No additional cost to runner
• Easy gear drop off & pick up race day morning
• Snacks and heated tent to meet up with friends and family members after the race
• Be entered into a chance to win a refurbished Garmin watch, which you can pick up at the race Expo

Sound easy enough? Here’s what you need to do. Email the following information to info@girlsontherunatlanta.org by February 9, 2012.

• Name
• Email you used to sign up for the race
• Are you running the Marathon or Half Marathon?
• Contact email (if different from above)

We’ll email you a week before the race to let you know our Race Expo location and our Race-Day tent location.

Thank you,

Girls on the Run of Atlanta

Need a new running song or a little pick-me-up for the afternoon? You’re gonna love this new song. Written by singer and songwriter Jessica Sands, it sums up what it means to be a “Girl on the Run.” Sands was inspired to write the song for GOTR after running a Girls on the Run 5K as a running buddy. Check it out and share with your friends. You’ll be singing it all day. 

Click here for video. 

Below are the lyrics so you can sing along (and know the words).

Girls on the Run Song Lyrics

~Singer and Songwriter Jessica Sands

G-I-R-L-S

G-I-R-L-S

Girls on the Run – Yea

Girls on the Run – Yea

[Repeated by Girls]

[Repeated twice by Jessica Sands]

She sees the starting line.

She just can’t wait.

Her heart is pounding.

Yea she knows it’s fate.

The count goes off.

The wait begins.

Her breath is steady.

She’s with her friends.

She’s a Girl on the Run – Yea

Knows how to have fun – Yea

She’s a Girl on the Run – Yea

Knows how to have fun – Yea

She’s a Girl on the Run.

Her spirit’s strong.

At every stage.

Body racing.

Her mind engaged.

With the team united.

They breakaway.

Determination.

We all win today.

She’s a Girl on the Run – Yea

Knows how to have fun – Yea

She’s a Girl on the Run – Yea

Knows how to have fun – Yea

She’s a Girl on the Run.

Life changes course in a flash.

Let it last. Let it last.

Life changes course in a flash.

Let it last.

Life changes course in a flash.

Let it last. Let it last.

Life changes course in a flash.

Let it last.

Up ahead.

The finish line.

Faces they know.

Screamin’ out their name.

Adrenaline pumpin’.

So much to gain.

Feelin’ elated.

As they’re crossin’ the line – Yea

This is the time – Yea

We’re Girls on the Run – Yea

Know how to have fun – Yea

Girls on the Run – Yea

Know how to have fun – - Yea

Girls on the Run.

• MLKDay5k. Lenox Mall, Atlanta, GA. Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), January 16, 2012, at 9:00 a.m.  $5 from each registration will go to Girls on the Run of Atlanta. So be sure to sign up under the “Girls on the Run” team when you register! For more information and to register, click here.

• Run for Cover 5K. Milton High School, Milton, GA. Sunday, January 15, 2012, at 3:00 p.m. Bring an article of new or gently used winter clothing or a non perishable food item. These will be donated to North Fulton Charities to help local families this winter. For more information and to register, click here.

• Join Girls on the Run of Atlanta on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. for our SoleMates Kick-off and free New Balance and Phidippides Training Runs for the Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon.  We’re looking for SoleMates - men and women who want to sponsor a Girls on the Run girl for our spring program. You run your race (5K, marathon, half marathon, etc.) and fundraise for Girls on the Run. SoleMates® play a vital role in ensuring the future success of Girls on the Run programs that impact on the lives of thousands of young women every year. For more information, email solemates@girlsontherunatlanta.org.

• 7th Annual Run with the Dogs Frostbite 5K. Decatur, GA. Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Decatur Bulldog Boosters to help fund the sports programs at Decatur High School and Renfroe Middle School. This event features a 5K (3.1 mile) course where participants can run or walk with (or without) their dogs. T-shirts, awards, and treats will be available to participants as well as a sporty “race”-kerchief for canine companions. For more information and to register, click here.

• 6th Annual Wonderful Days of Winter 5K/1 Mile. Marietta, GA. Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Wonderful Days Preschool, Inc. a Pre-K program for low-income children in operation since 1974. For more information and to register, click here.

• MLK Day 5K. Atlanta, GA. Monday, January 16, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. $5 from each registration will go to Girls on the Run of Atlanta. So be sure to sign up under the “Girls on the Run” team when you register! For more information and to register, click here.

If you have a race you’d like us to blog, please email us a link to your info at info@girlsontherunatlanta.org.

I was immediately taken in by this campaign, went to their website to read their marketing spiel (I’m a sucker for beautiful copy), but then kept on reading (it’s a miracle that everyone is still asleep in my house) about Special K and the “Mommy Bloggers” who were invited to be a part of the 2011 event.  I missed this campaign last year so it’s a good thing that Special K decided to capitalize on it again and re-run their spots on this day dubbed “national weigh in day.”

As I kept reading about Special K and their two-week diet plans, I was intrigued by the positive outlook folks have for their weight loss plans for the year. (“Our goal for 2012 is not just to lose weight, but also to change our lifestyle so that we can set a good example for Charlie.” ~ The Shopping Mama)…and equally intrigued by the naysayers who couldn’t be bothered by a superficial marketing campaign based on high-fructose corn syrup cereal. (“In campaigns that promote diets like this, thinness is equated with success, beauty, and happiness.  In reality, treating your body this way is abusive and dangerous.” ~I Came to Run)

And now I hear the familiar sounds of the children clambering down the stairs so I’m off to make breakfast and then to the park for our last day of vacation together. But I’ll be thinking about Special K’s campaign and using inspiring words, instead of numbers, to measure what appears on my scale. I’m gravitating toward “fantabulous.” What about you?

RESPECT

GLOW

JOY

CONFIDENCE

SPARKLE

SASS

EXCITEMENT

GUTS

SATISFACTION

HOPE

SPIRIT

MOXIE

DRIVE

SHINE

PEACE

PEP

RESOLVE

GLEE

PRIDE

NERVE

CALM

OOMPH

DRIVE

ZING

SASS

FANTABULOUS

MOMENTUM

Happy New Year!

~Girls on the Run of Atlanta

• 24th Annual Jingle Jog 5K: Atlanta, GA. Saturday, December 10 at 8:00 a.m. Bring an unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army, participate in the Trader Joe’s Prize Walk, hear the Salvation Army Band and meet Santa Claus and his Atlanta sports mascot friends. For more information and to register, click here.

• Sleighbells on the Square 5K/1K: Marietta, GA. Saturday, December 10 at 8:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Community Service Fund of the Cobb Bar Association. For more information and to register, click here.

• Atlanta Track Club Free Running Seminar: Midtown, Atlanta, GA. Join the ATC for a free running seminar, Staying Fit Over the Holidays, and learn how to stay in shape throughout the festivities, feasting and celebrations of the holiday months! The seminar features Greg McMillan, a runner, exercise scientist and coach who has worked with Olympians, Boston Marathon qualifiers as well as beginners. Come learn how stay in tip-top shape, while still making the most of your holiday!

If you have a race you’d like us to blog, please email us a link to your info at info@girlsontherunatlanta.org.

• Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis: Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta, GA. Saturday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation. For more information and to register, click here.
• One Love One Heart for CdLS: Medlock Park, Atlanta, GA. Saturday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation and research facilities. For more information and to register, click here.
• Atlanta BeltLine Eastside 10K: Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA. Saturday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m. An off-road/on-road course that benefits the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. For more information and to register, click here.

If you have a race you’d like us to blog, please email us a link to your info at info@girlsontherunatlanta.org.

• Race 2 Recycle 5K Run/Walk: Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA.  Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 a.m. Set the pace for zero waste by bringing old running shoes, CFLs, handheld devices, batteries and eyeglasses for a special Race 2 Recycle recycling event sponsored by IKEA.  For more information and to register, click here.
• One Step Forward 5K Run/Walk to Benefit Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS): Marietta, GA. Saturday, November 19 at 8:00 a.m. Proceeds benefit the ALS Association of Georgia. For more information and to register, click here.
• Elliott’s Run 5K and Fun Run: Atlanta, GA. Sunday, November 20 at 1:00 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Elliott Galloway Scholarship Fund. For more information and to register, click here.

If you have a race you’d like us to blog, please email us a link to your info at info@girlsontherunatlanta.org.

• New Balance Girls on the Run 5k – ATLANTA: Join us this Sunday, November 13 at 9:00 am at the AYSA Soccer fields. Last day to register online is Thursday. Proceeds benefit Girls on the Run of Atlanta and Atlanta Youth Soccer Association. For more information and to register, click here.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

• National 5K Sponsors: New Balance, Goody, Secret

• Presenting Sponsor: Phidippides

• Whole Foods, Highland Bakery, Caribou Coffee, PODS
• 1-800-Got Junk?, Larabar, Mix 1, Cascadian Farms, Piedmont Hospital’s Women’s Leadership Alliance, Doc Chey’s Noodle House, Osteria 832, WestStride, Atlanta Track Club, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta. 

• And if you just can’t get enough of the Girls on the Run races this weekend, check out the Forsyth Council’s New Balance Girls on the Run 5K. November 12, 2011 at Lambert High School, Suwanee, GA. at 10 am. For more information, click here.

If you have a race you’d like us to blog, please email us a link to your info at info@girlsontherunatlanta.org.