Today after the morning run I was walking a bit during my cool-down and noticed a little girl walking a step at a time down a pretty high staircase from her apartment.  She was a tiny thing, and probably only about 3 years old.  One hand was holding the railing and the other was holding onto her mother, who was coaxing her with words of encouragement.  “Come on,” she said, “you can do it!  Your such a big girl!”  And the little girl, listening to her mother, realized she was capable of this accomplishment as she finished the staircase one step at a time.  Then upon reaching the bottom she had a BIG smile on her face, and wanted to walk back up to feel the triumph again.

I’m often speaking with others, and receive many questions about my running.  How much do you run?  Why do you run?  What’s the longest you’ve run?  And then they say, “Oh, I could never do that.”

I guess we can all use a reasuring hand to do things we think we can’t do.  So, I’ve got your back.  Come’on, you can do it!  Your such a big girl/boy!  I know you can do whatever you put your mind to.  Let’s get started!  You don’t need to run fast, or long, or very often.  Just ease into it.  Run slow and easy.  You’ve got this!

By the way, it doesn’t have to be running.  This bit of advice can be applied to just about anything.