My 5K Reflection

Have you ever wanted to accomplish something yet it seemed out of reach?  And because of this you were a little bit nervous? Scared you might not reach it if you tried?

Yesterday I ran a 5K with a student at my school.  She had been working for the past two months with her Girls on the Run team to prepare for this day.  As we stood waiting for the race to start, she was nervous and a little scared.  She'd never done this before.  Even with these feelings, we set off.

Right at the start her parents cheered her on as she passed them.  She smiled and kept going.  Along the way there were times when we slowed down and walked.  We could hear the cheers of others and words of encouragement.  She would pick up the pace and start jogging again.  Then we would slow down again.  So we set small goals; ones within sight.  Jog to the next tree.  The next street light.  We never stopped, and before you knew it, the finish line was in sight.  We picked up the pace until we crossed it.

As I thought about that morning, I reflected on how similar the situation was to my life and possibly others' too. Although it wasn't my first 5K and I wasn't experiencing feelings like she was, I've been there before and I know I will be there again.  It may not be a 5K, but there are things that I want to accomplish and things I want to achieve.

Running with her helped me realize a few things when working towards a goal.

* Encouragement and support from others can help when things start to get tough.  When you start to doubt yourself and think it can't be done, encouragement from others can keep you going.

* When the goal is going to take some time to reach, set up smaller ones along the way; it gives you a chance to celebrate what you accomplished so far even when there is still a ways to go.

* Things might happen along the way.  There may be obstacles to overcome - physical or mental, but never give up.

When looking at the three things I realized while running yesterday, there is one last thing that comes to mind: It's important to share your goals with others.  If you don't share with others, there is no one there to support you when you need it and celebrate with you in the end.