Running with Kids...Week 2 Recap

T-48 days til our first 5K.


Both my daughter and my son are capable of running 90 seconds, then walking 90 seconds now (not without complaining like their limbs are going to fall off, of course)...repeating for 10 intervals.  I get it, trust me!  I find myself focusing on them, so ignoring my own negative thoughts is easier...but they are still there.  I know my son will eventually outrun me in a mere 2-3 months.  Now, throw in 90 degrees which feels like 100 degrees, and you have an easy reason to feel sluggish!


Now, what have I learned in this last week?  My son can run a bit faster than my daughter.  He walked the dog with my husband and then joined us mid-run at a local park.  The problem?  He was full of energy and I could feel that my daughter was trying to keep up with him.  She wasn't listening to her own body's pace. I think forward 8 weeks, and I know that the urge to run faster than you should when you are surrounded by better athletes is going to impact them.  Unfortunately, they have different paces, and I need to acknowledge that and deal with it.  He runs about 1 mile/minute faster than she does.  He should, of course, since he weighs 30 pounds less than her!  But, this means that I need to run with them separately (which is what I was reluctantly expecting).


I know I have to balance their complaints with part motherly support and part "suck it up kid" attitude.  Just like when they complain about homework, they need to just focus and get it done so they can realize that they are capable of doing it!  But, also like homework, they need encouragement and a little guidance so they can address the problem in front of them without me...they need to be capable AND they need to know that they are capable!


MY SHORT-TERM PARENT-COACH GOALS

• Keep them motivated through the awful 6-week period, which is the hardest part of the training.
• Get them to run non-stop at the 5k over Labor Day weekend....even if they are slow as turtles!
• Keep them committed until mid-October when the humidity just magically disappears, then I just need to maintain their training since they will be running so much more easily.  The humidity just kills you down here, but if you can start training in the summer, once the weather turns, you know you can accomplish anything!