Well this morning I finally did it. I got all of my three children to run 2 miles without stopping. This morning, my ten year old crossed the finish line completing 2 miles without stopping in just under 10:30 per mile. My work is done here.
It is interesting working with my kids on accomplishing the task of running for 2 miles. Seems like a simple thing, but for someone who has not ran for any distance at all, 2 miles can seen really daunting. 2 Miles to them, feels the same as 100 miles to me. I think I might be able to do it, I believe that I could but the process of working towards it really sucks, takes perseverance and you have a lot of ups and downs along the way.
The biggest lesson I have learned motivating my kids to run long distances? The mental barrier is the hardest part of any human endeavor. Just to walk you thought it, it took 3 weeks to get my 10 year old to finally run 1 mile without stopping. Once she got there, that mental barrier removed, she got to 1.5 miles yesterday and this morning ran 2 miles. With the mental barrier broken, she was able to keep going. As it turns out, running 2 miles was not nearly as hard as running 1.
The older children have both ran 5 miles, and one of them has got to 13.1. Once someone knows they can do it, it is amazing to watch the progress. So life lesson here – all you really need to do is get past the, “i cant” mental barrier and the rest is easy (well at least easier).
Guy Reams
