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Last Saturday, my sister and I attended the Black Girls Run! Preserve the Sexy Tour. I follow BGR’s Philadelphia Facebook page, so when I saw a post about this event, I had to check it out.
I have wanted to truly get involved with BGR for awhile now. I’ve never gotten around to running with the group, especially since I have my own Running Club that meets the same time and place as BGR on Saturdays.
So I thought this would be an opportunity to get involved, especially since my sister is now running too!
We had a little trouble finding the place but we found parking easily, went in, and headed to sign in. We were greeted by the friendly ladies all dressed in the signature pink BGR attire.
Finally, the show began a little after 10:30. The founders of Black Girls Run introduced themselves and shared the story of how BGR started from a blog in 2009 to grow to become over 70 running groups across the country. They were very friendly but clearly really nervous…I was surprised.There were already a TON of ladies seated, but the program was yet to begin. There were some technical difficulties…so my sister left to get coffee while I waited in my seat. There was a female DJ keeping us all entertained and the place was buzzing with energy!
Toni Carey (l) and Ashley Hicks, the founders of BGR!
Eventually, my sister made it back with her Starbucks and the next part of the program was led a representative of Philadelphia Runner. the fundamentals of running shoes and equipment. He was also nervous but did a great job explaining how to get fitted for shoes and answering tons of audience questions. He also demonstrated the foam roller, which looked VERY painful. He was a good sport and had a good time with us all.
I want one of those sticks! Really good presentation.
During the break, I went to the Philly Runner table and not only did I get a $15 off $75 coupon, I talked to him about my running shoes fiasco. Out of that convo, I realized that I have been trying too hard to change my form. He recommended that I try to get back to that place where I’m running naturally for me. I just have to liberate myself from thinking I need to run a certain way, land my feet a certain way….because before I started changing things, I NEVER had any foot problems. I’ve got to get back to that good place!
Luckily, BGR provided lunch, which was NOT indicated in the program. We were told to “bring light snacks”…this event was over $30 and we weren’t going to get fed?! I’m glad that was corrected…there would have been a lot of grumpy ladies, especially me!
In between sessions, the merchandise line was always mobbed. I didn’t take a pic, but trust me….there was lots and lots of pink. I wanted to get a peek of what they were offering but the shirts were in the $30 range….WAY too rich for my blood. I would have thought they’d have some sort of promotion for us attending, but I guess people were just grateful to save on shipping costs. Just to get an idea, check out their store.
After lunch, we had an excellent presentation on hair care for women of color, especially those with natural hair. Her name is Mo and she was very animated! We laughed and laughed as she shared her personal stories and her experiences as a hairstylist down in Florida. I wasn’t surprised that she encouraged seeing a natural hair stylist…I wish she was available! It’s a very expensive endeavor in Philadelphia. She gave good advice on how to keep hair maintained while working out (try taking an old tech shirt and cut it to wrap around your head). And it’s so important to have a good regimen, no matter what kind of hair you have. She knew her stuff and was a definite highlight of the day!
The last portion of the program was the nutritionist. Unfortunately, a lot of people left to take care of parking, and she just could not capture the full attention of the audience. I honestly can’t remember what she was talking about. Since I’m seeing a dietitian, I didn’t feel I needed to learn much. But if the presentation was structured better and not so AWKWARD, I think I could have learned more. The nutritionist asked people to give her questions to answer, but she never answered them! She even told one woman that her questions didn’t apply to the entire group…how rude! I really checked out after that…
Nutrition lecture…awkward!
All in all, I would say that I appreciate that Black Girls Run is making a great effort to encourage Black women to take care of themselves. But for nearly $40, I don’t think I got my money’s worth at the Preserve the Sexy Tour. With a little more effort, this could be a world class program, but right now, it needs a lot more polish.
