Last night as Mario and I were driving back from Roxboro, I was trying to decide what our workout would be this morning. I expressed to Mario that I didn't feel that the girls were pushing themselves (or I wasn't pushing them) hard enough. Granted, this is not cross country practice, but I wanted them to really push themselves to a new level. That way they could really relish in their accomplishments and feel that satisfaction. What Mario said had a big impact on how I handled today. He said "inspire them."
I woke up super early this morning so I could find the inspiration for them, for myself and our workout. After a delicious spinach and fruit smoothie in the VitaMix, I sat down to TweetDeck and started reading. I follow @RunningQuotes and I knew that was where I wanted to start. From there I found what I was going to say the girls with the hopes of "inspiring them." Josh Cox (US 50K record holder) had tweeted the following earlier in the day: "The pain of training is nothing compared to the pain of not reaching your potential." I knew those girls were capable of pushing themselves much harder and today I was going to inspire them to do so.
By 7:02 am, my six girls along with one newbie were there and ready to work. I decided to do our stretching routine first and then share my quote of the day. I explained to them that we were going to be doing some speed work and it was going to hurt a little. We talked about the quote, the workout, and how to apply one to the other. But before the headed out, I stressed to them that this was THEIR workout and not their friends'. If they wanted to push harder, then do it. If they couldn't keep up, then that was okay. As long as they knew they were trying their hardest, then it was a workout well done.
I wish there were some way to explain all the determined faces I saw this morning or all the small feats they accomplished along the way. Just to give you a few examples: One girl stopped after mile one to ask for a bandaid (she had a blister) and of course I didn't have one. (Note to self: bring first aid kit on Wednesday.) She walked one lap and when she came back around she looked at me, almost as if she were asking permission, and said I'm going to keep running. Well by all means, I'm not going to stop you - go for it! That girl was "Laura" - refer to the previous blog entry - and she did not come in last today.
Another example was when a man came out to the track to run some laps and I challenged the girls on their interval lap to try and pass him. Well if you can imagine, this man was doing his laps minding his own business when out of nowhere, a pack a red faced girls came chasing him down. Oh it was awesome to say the least. And not to be sexist, but what it made it even more awesome was the fact that these were high school girls who do not run, passing a grown man who does run (we've seen him out there many times before). I think it was a real confidence booster for them. And the most gratifying comment of the day was when a girl said to me "I know that was faster than my mile we did last week. I ran the whole time and didn't stop." I have no idea if she was correct because I wasn't timing them today, but what mattered was the fact that she felt that way and she was proud of herself.
I don't know if it was the green spinach smoothie, the hard work I saw this morning, or a combination of the both, but it was a great way to start my Monday morning. When we left the track, I told the girls to make sure they did something special for themselves today. They worked extremely hard today and they deserved to reward their efforts. And although nobody said it, I feel like by really pushing themselves, the girls have a little more self confidence to take on the day.
Happy Monday everyone!
Tracie
"The pain of training is nothing compared to the pain of not reaching your potential" -Josh Cox (via Twitter)
Girls on the Move, Take One!
Yesterday was our first official Girls on the Move meeting. I must admit I was feeling a little nervous because I wasn't sure if I would be the only one there or if the football team was going to kick us off the track before we even got started. But thankfully, six wonderful girls who were vertical and moving by 7am on their own accord, showed up and made my 25 minute trip totally worth it. Not to mention they successfully ignored the fact that the football team and their parents were slowly migrating to the bleachers and watching the skips, bends, and knee lifts.
Before our meeting, I had taken extensive notes on the things I wanted to talk about - why we run, the importance of stretching, what proper running form looks like, and how the entire purpose of this club is not to run faster than the next girl, but instead to see what we are all made of. Well I'm not sure if it was nerves or lack of organizational skills, but I managed to skip over most of those things. Ten minutes in and they were running around the track and I had not even discussed looking forward, a straight back, and unclenched fists. Oooops! What was I thinking? A quick glance and I decided they looked pretty good form wise and I would address this on Wednesday. Mental note, check!
Now with only six girls, I have no doubt they noticed who was the first to finish and who was the last. Being last amongst a group of your peers is never easy - I would know because in middle school I was NEVER the fast runner, but the one who was trying to cheat herself out of the last lap (sorry Coach Russell). "Laura" was that runner who came in last but watching her reaffirmed that this club was a good thing and worth every minute of my summer vacation. Those six girls started running their first lap around the track all together - a solid pack. But after that one lap, the crowd dispersed. I started the second lap with them and then let them run off so I could keep time but "Laura" was struggling and she didn't want to suffer alone. After she stopped to tie her shoe, she asked if I would run with her. Of course!!!! I could tell she really was not having fun so I shared with her some of my stories about how I was never a runner in school but if we broke the lap into segments it wouldn't be so bad. So we did - run the straightaways, walk the curves. I had to let her finish her last lap on her own so I could shout out times to the other girls but I was most impressed with her. Like I said - it was obvious she was not having fun but she did not utter one complaint or ever just quit. She finished her mile in a little over 12 minutes, walked it out, and then did jumped right in with our other exercises with a smile that was half misery and half I'm going to finish this no matter how much it hurts.
When I left yesterday I was a little worried that she might not come back to the next meeting or that I didn't let her know just how well she had done. From all the things I have learned teaching, I have learned never to underestimate the power of positive words. But something tells me she'll be there, accepting the fact that this will not be easy, but when it is all said and done, she will have learned a little more about herself and all the things she can do in this world.
Overall, I would call it a successful first meeting. However, there were many mental notes made and quite a few things I need to remember to do tomorrow. I'm going to spend some time at the library today reading some coaching books and reviewing some sample workouts. I really want these girls to know how awesome they are and that they can do "it" whatever their "it" may be. So here is to a day of preparing and to another successful workout tomorrow...
Happy Running,
Tracie