When is it okay to start my kids into running?
I love to run… I used to take my kids out running with me in the double jogger all the time, but my oldest is too big for it now – he is 5 1/2 years old. My daughter will be 4 in November.
I see lots of parents (mostly dads) around my area running with their kids along side them. The kids usually look around 6-10 years old… but they are keeping up very well, so I assume they have been at it a while.
I have always wanted to be able to run with my kids… so that I am not just telling them to stay active, but I am doing it with them. They love to run, too… I have already entered them both into the Junior Carlsbad where they ran a 1/4 mile, and they absolutely loved it and talk about it all the time.
When is it okay to start really running with them… getting them to run at a slower pace and run longer distances, etc. Can I start now? How long should I expect them to run? Should I follow the same training principals I follow when I am training? What is the max mileage?
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3 comments
nadvanoot on September 3, 2010 at 5:44 am
Hey! KOOL! We also run in the Carlsbad! Our girls have fared quite well every time in the JR.
You ARE speaking of the Carlsbad, Kalifornia Run, right? I think there’s one in Pennsylvania called the "Carlsbad" too, or somewhere up there, where it isn’t 115 degrees this year.
We have been running with our girls since they were able to poop, and haven’t experienced any adverse or ill-effects physically as yet…other than the poop.
Mileage-wise, we stop when the girls stop. Then we walk and shake-it-off. Catch our breath, get some tasty and cool electrolytes, cool off, and then they make us run some more.
My wife and I have both been runners since birth, and we’re perfectly normal…well…there are those blistery, moleskin-covered dealys we live with on a daily basis, but other than that, you run like the wind, and they will also, as far and as long as they want.
I think it’s great to see families experiencing such activities together, especially in this unfamily-like new-society.
You guys can run anywhere, and everywhere all the time. We’ve read some horror stories and urban legends about people falling over dead from running too, but never actually met any dead runners. Mostly healthy, and cool people, and kid people too. We eat sort of right, and we love to dance as well. We all have very sexy legs, and big, fat hearts. Even me. Good for you!
Nad
i lv horses on September 3, 2010 at 5:44 am
it would be good to start them running now so they can grow up to be fit and active. Be easy on them and run at full speed for about 200m then jog for about 1 1/2 – 2 km.
amashit82 on September 3, 2010 at 5:44 am
encourage them to run with you now but dont push them and force them to do it. they should do it simply just because they wanna spend time with there mom and becaue they enjoy it
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