Lessons from the 5K: #2--Stay the Course

Note: This is the second in a series of posts. Click here to read the previous one.

By the time I reached the point in the route where I was to make a left turn, I doubted I had enough strength to go the last mile or so. I was seriously considering giving up since the street onto which I turned would take me near the pavilion where my daughter and I had signed in.

I smiled weakly at the volunteer who was making sure everyone made the turn, and I managed to get enough breath to say, "I'm sorry...you've...had to wait...so long for me. Maybe...I shouldn't...have tried...to do this."

"Honey, you couldn't pay me to do what you're doing! And I bet you paid to do this, didn't you? So you keep going! You've almost made it to the two-mile mark."

I waved at her and walked on, staggering a bit from time to time. At the end of that block, I saw the pavilion in the distance. But a little voice in my head kept saying, "Stay the course. Stay the course. You've made it this far. Don't give up now. Stay the course."

So, with renewed commitment, I walked on, though I admit I looked longingly at the pavilion as I passed it.

Lesson #2: "Stay the course" even when you're tempted to give up! There's a lot of truth in the old cliche: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." And I do want to be strong and to discipline myself to persevere rather than quit when life gets hard, don't you?