Leah will be moving under her own steam in May when she takes part in a 5K run/walk sponsored by Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley. The nonprofit organization offers an afterschool fitness program for girls ages 8­14 that combines physical activity and health education.

Since Schallenberger's Girls on the Run program started this month, Leah and nine other third- through fifth-grade girls are gathering twice a week on the school field to work out their minds and bodies. On a recent afternoon, the girls played "nutrition baseball," a game where a correct answer to a question about diet or exercise earned them a base hit.

The girls then did laps around the school field, marking off a healthy habit on a list they carry for each completed element on a circuit.

"I'll do none of these," said Kaetlyn Luce, looking down the list.

"Well, you might start doing them," replied Valerie Hays, coach of the Schallenberger program.

Hays found out about Girls on the Run from her gym instructor, who coaches the program at Loma Prieta Elementary School in the Los Gatos foothills. Hays said she was intrigued by the program's emphasis on the correlation between fitness and self-image.

"When I was this age, I wasn't physically active, nor did I have good self-esteem," Hays added. "The good thing about running is that it's a life skill. You don't need much besides a good pair of shoes."

Kathleen Nestler, executive director of Girls on the Run Silicon Valley, attended Schallenberger as a child. She started the local program in 2001 at Lakeside School in Los Gatos. Nestler had moved from Chicago, where she'd been looking forward to enrolling her two daughters in Girls on the Run when they reached the third grade.

"When I found out they didn't have a program [in Silicon Valley], I started one at my kids' school," said Nestler, who now coaches the program at Lakeside and at C.T. English Middle School.

Girls on the Run Silicon Valley now offers programs at 10 local schools; in total, about 180 girls are enrolled.

"Most girls come back for a second or third session," Nestler said.

Hays said the girls she coaches are beginning to comprehend how exercising regularly and eating healthy affect their physical and mental well-being.

"I think they're getting more of an understanding of what we're doing and what the end product is going to be," she added. "A lot of them are already active, but for some of them, it's an adjustment."

Hays' daughter Raychelle, 8, a third-grader at Schallenberger, said she enjoys running with the group and learning about health and nutrition. While the Girls on the Run 5K will be her first race, Raychelle said it probably won't be her last. She looks to Leah and her family for inspiration.

"Her grandma is 75, and she still does marathons," said Raychelle about her running mate.

Leah's grandmother, Joy Johnson, started running at age 59 after retiring from Willow Glen High School, where she taught physical education for 32 years. Her first marathon was in New York in 1988.

"The minute I crossed the finish line, I was hooked," she said. "Like I told the kids, if I drop dead running, that's fine."

In the meantime, Johnson said, she appreciates what the activity has given her.

"The quality of my life has greatly improved because of running," she added.

Schallenberger is one of nine South Bay elementary schools with a Girls on the Run program. The national nonprofit organization also offers an age-appropriate curriculum for middle-school girls. The registration fees for the 12-week program are $150 and include a T-shirt, a water bottle, snacks and entry in the 5K race.

Triathlete Molly Barker developed Girls on the Run in 1996 to combat what she saw as the "girl box," or the rigid set of social and physical precepts girls must adopt to fit in with their peers. The program's mission is "to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living." Its curriculum is designed to reach pre-adolescent girls and prevent eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, obesity and promiscuity.

"The goal is to have them be more knowledgeable about how these things affect their lives," Hays said.

As a Girls on the Run coach, Hays is a designated role model and cheerleader for the budding athletes in her care. At a recent session, she kept the girls on track as the enthusiasm of some waned and thoughts turned to post-workout snacking.

Hays, who is still searching for an assistant coach, said she's glad she has only 10 girls to look after. Enrollment for each Girls on the Run program is capped at 16.

"I couldn't imagine coaching 16 girls by myself," Hays said. "I'm hoping that next year it will catch on and people will want to get involved."

Hays said she's glad she's found an activity she can do with her daughter.

"As I grew up, I became very involved in physical fitness," she said. "It's very important to me, and I want my kids to have the love of it."

Johnson agreed that it's a bonus for her to have a daughter and a granddaughter who share her passion for running because it provides an extra incentive for staying in shape.

"We don't all have to do the same thing so long as we exercise," said the marathoner. "Girls should be doing something they like to do or that their parents like to do so they can do it as a family."

While having the mother of one of the girls act as coach isn't required, Nestler said it's mutually beneficial.

"We just want people who understand the benefits of exercise and how it can make you feel good and empowered," she added.

For more information about Girls on the Run Silicon Valley, contact Kathleen Nestler at 408.406.8406 or kathleen@ gotrsv.org.