Blue Springs Practice 5K

Last night I had the privilege to run with the Blue Springs girls during their practice five 5K.  For me, this is probably my favorite part of the season.   The practice 5K, unlike the community 5, is small and intimate allowing me to really see each of these girls.  I really get to the know them, talk to them while we run, encourage them, and just hang out.  This particular 5K was held at a park, and the girls ran around the trail 8 times to complete 3.1 miles.  Here's the thing though, April and May in Missouri are guarenteed to be rainy, wet, chilly, HOT, unpredictable and messy!!!  Since Monday we've had rain, huge crazy thunderstorms with daunting clouds have filled the sky, and last night was no different.  But the girls were jazzed and ready to run.  

I managed to get lost and arrived just as the girls were heading out.  As I came over to the start, I could tell that some of these girls had "fallen" in the mud.  I could also see that the paved trail was COVERED in standing water and mud in some parts.  We were going to get dirty, but these girls have been working hard, and they were ready to go.

So we ran.  

Here are some of my thoughts and observations about the run - pretty random, but bare with me.  There was a dad who came out to run with his daughter.  I watched them run and talk and dad encouraging her.  I love that, watching a dad take an active role in his daughter's life.  Running with her, even if he's not a runner or hasn't run.  Although, this dad had one of those forerunners, so I'm pretty sure he was a runner, but still, to come out and run with your eight year old - way to go dad!

As each girl came across the finish line, Devon, the coach, and another parent put a streamer out so the girl could run through it.  Watching the girls cross that finish line and breaking the streamer was awesome.  This was their moment.  For most of these girls this was the furthest they'd ever gone 3.1 miles, and when they crossed that finish line it was all about them, about their accomplishment, their overcoming something some of them did not believe they could do.  And yet, every one of those girls crossed that line.  WOW!!!

I think the 5K is a lot  like life.  It seems so overwhelming at first, but as one of the girls kept saying as we were running, "baby steps."  Just put one foot in front of the other and move forward.  That's what these girls did last night, even with the daunting, crazy clouds, the rain drops, and the mud, they put one foot in front of the other and moved forward until they finished STRONG!