I ran a 5k today with my girls, who are ages 7 and 11. It was something we'd been training for the latter part of the summer, as it was my 11 year old's summer goal to complete a 5k. I honestly wondered how my younger daughter would do....it seemed like a pretty far distance for her.
During our time running those 3.2 miles, it became pretty clear that she needed some "mental coaching" from mom. She needed me to tell her to keep going...to ignore that inner voice that tells you to stop when you are tired, versus pushing through. I told my girls that we always have more energy, we just have to dig it up! It's interesting that it's not just adults that have to be mentally tough during a physical challenge-- it's kids too.
We chose points along the course where she could speed walk for a few paces, then pick up the jog again. Sometimes, we held hands and she paced with me. It was a lot of, "Come on, you can do it!" from me. My oldest daughter just ran quietly, not a word of complaint.....maybe just the fact that she's a bit older has given her that mental grit. That, and she's just a natural born runner who genuinely enjoys that sport.
Next time you do something hard and your mind says, "QUIT," push that thought away and remind yourself to KEEP GOING. One more step, one more rep, one more minute, whatever. If you don't have someone beside you telling you to keep going, you have to be your own mental coach.
We all completed the 5k without a problem. It made me so proud! Oh, and my 7 year old-- well, she was the one that sprinted ahead of us at the end across the finish line. (I knew she had the energy in there somewhere.)
