So you’ve turned your kids into dedicated runners? Congratulations! Being a runner is not only a great way to stay in shape, but it’s also a state of mind, a sense of responsibility, and an activity that your children can hopefully pursue for the rest of their lives. Running allows them to have goals, setbacks, and challenges. It is a sport that they can do anywhere in the world – and they can probably find people there to join them on their run as well. Running, in short, is an admirable passion. You should be proud that you’ve instilled that passion in your children.

But every time your kid steps outside to go for a run at night, in the heat, in the cold, or in a new place, you may worry as a parent that you’ve given them a passion that sometimes renders them unsafe. While there are certainly places in the world where you may want to think twice about letting your child run, a run at night or in the cold is not inherently a dangerous proposition – so long, of course, that your son or daughter is prepared. To help insure that they are prepared for the elements, here are some questions to ask them before they head out:

Hot Weather

• Have you been hydrating today? What color is your pee?
• Do you have a water bottle? If not, please tell me where you can get water along the run, if necessary?
• Can you promise me you’ll stop if your legs get heavy or you start feeling a cold sweat?

Cold Weather

• Are your fingers covered?
• How about your head?

At Night

• Are you wearing reflective clothing, or at least light colors?
• Where are you going? Can you promise to stay away from traffic, or in well-lit places, or both?

In A New Place

• Can you tell me exactly where you plan to run?
• What is our current address?
• How can you reach me if there’s a problem?

In a Potentially Dangerous Area

• Will you carry mace? If not, can you pick up your running pace?
• Can you leave any valuable watches or other equipment behind?
• Do you really need to run today?

Even if your child resents it, make a point of asking these kinds of questions before they head out for a run. It will, ultimately, make them safer. Furthermore, you can tell them: once you do this without prompting, I won’t ask these questions anymore. I’ll know that you’re a safe runner.

Good luck, happy running, and – as always – be safe.

Bio: Harold Hunt is a blogger and avid runner based out of Pittsburgh. He also writes for Phone Bulletin, a site with news about mobile phones and technology.

If you’re like most runners, you know how good running makes you feel and you probably wish that you could get more people to run so that they could experience it too. But, just like me, you probably have a ton of family members and friends that just don’t get it.

“You run that far on purpose?”

“I don’t want to punish my knees.”

“I don’t see the point, unless someone is chasing you.”

These are the comments I get from most of my extended family. I’m sure you’ve heard similar ones from yours.

The last quote in particular is something that a cousin of mine would say. Now don’t get me wrong — he’s no couch potato. He does all sorts of outdoor activities, including hiking, bicycling, and paragliding. He just doesn’t run.

Until now.

His brother is a runner. He’s been trying for years to get his brother to run, and kept hearing the same response — “I don’t understand the point of running, unless someone is chasing you.” So he challenged his brother with the Run For Your Lives.

In this race you get to negotiate 12 obstacles along a 5K running course — while being chased by zombies! My formerly non-running cousin is now inspired to evade the zombies, defeat the obstacles, and while he’s at it also run 5K. So now he’s pulled together a training plan, laced up his shoes, and has become a runner!

Now this type of event may not appeal to running purists, is not RRCA certified, and will most definitely NOT land you a 5K PR. But it is a heck of a lot of fun, very unique, and attracts people to running who may not otherwise have ever given running a try.

As more and more people flock to running as a way to stay healthy, they are finding more and more ways to make running enjoyable. Whether you’re a Tough Mudder, a Princess, a Warrior, a Fairy, or a Perp, chances are there’s a unique race out there just for you or someone you know.

So find a unique event near you that would inspire someone else in your family to run, and then invite them to join you!

Because at its heart, running is not about PR’s and intervals and VO2MAX — running is about staying healthy while having fun. Enjoy!

Image by danedeasy via Flickr

Would you?

I would. At least I think I might start.

Let me explain.

We were at Panera for dinner and our 7yo son, after he had eaten his fair share of chicken noodle soup, sandwich, and yogurt, asked if he could have dessert. The rest of us were still eating, so I fished out a $5 bill and then he went up with my wife to buy his choice. A few minutes later, he marched proudly back, carrying a huge cinnamon roll and $2.51 in change.

Normally we would pay for the desserts using a credit card along with the rest of the food. But this time, seeing the cash really brought home the value of one cinnamon roll. Two dollars and forty nine cents! That’s a lot!! Granted, it was a big one, but its size just served to underscore how inflated (and wasteful) all of this really was. The cinnamon roll was more than he really needed, and $2.49 was more than it should really cost.

So I asked him a question. I asked him if he had the option to take the two dollars and fifty cents and either buy a cinnamon roll or keep the money, what would he do? After all, either way I end up spending the money anyway.

He said he’d keep the money and skip dessert.

Now, we’ve been paying our kids a weekly allowance for a while, and our rule is that when we go to Target or anywhere else, instead of begging us for toys or any other random item they may want on a whim, they can buy whatever they want (as long as it is appropriate) with their own allowance money. Because of this, our kids now know what $3 will buy, what $5 will buy, and what $10 will buy. They know that for the bigger, better toys, they need to save for a few weeks. They get to make their own decisions and take responsibility for those decisions, instead of all the control and decision responsibility being with us (making us the bad guys every time we say no).

I wondered if the same concept could work with desserts.

My seven year old, the one who said he’d skip dessert and keep the money, is a dessert fiend. He would eat sweets constantly all day if he could. This kid lives for dessert.

So lately, enforcing good nutrition has felt more and more like a battle with him. He’s always trying to see how little “real” food and how much dessert he can get away with. And we’re always reminding him that he needs to make healthful choices.

But what’s his motivation? Dessert is coming anyway, and Mommy and Daddy are always providing it. Any occasions where he has to skip dessert are occasions when Mommy or Daddy are being the bad guys and making the decision for him. And then it’s no longer about living and eating healthfully — it’s about us being mean to him and what little educational value there might have been in the discussion is suddenly lost.

And when you look at the long range consequences of that, how are we preparing him to make good food choices independently? If we always tell him what to eat and what not to eat, how will he ever learn to make his own decisions later when he’s on his own? Maybe we’ve just been raising a monster — one that will go out and buy sweets every chance he gets when he’s on his own to make up for all the sweets that his parents had deprived him of.

And this is where I had my big epiphany.

Why not let him start making the choices now?

Of course if we just ask him whether he wants dessert or not, he’ll always say that he wants dessert — as long as we’re buying.

But once he has the choice of getting the dessert or getting the money, now he has to think about what that dessert is worth to him. Yes, it will taste really yummy right now, but with $2.50 he could buy two Hot Wheels or a pack of Silly Bandz. Or, he could skip a few desserts and get a new stuffed animal or maybe even a Beyblade! Now instead of a hollow choice of sweets or no sweets, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for him.

The point is, the choice is his. He can learn that desserts don’t just magically appear. They have value, and their value can be understood in relation to other things. And he can finally decide for himself that perhaps he doesn’t really need that humongous cinnamon roll.

It’s a far cry from making decisions based on nutritional value and health and other adult concepts, which are vitally important but aren’t real to a seven year old — but I think it’s a step in the right direction.

What about you?

This holiday season, give yourself the best Christmas present of all. You owe it to yourself. The gift I have in mind for you is one nobody else can give you. You have to give it to yourself. And it’s free.

The gift I’m talking about is the gift of acceptance.

Accept that things are OK. Accept that you are OK. Give yourself a break. Let things be.

The holidays can bring a lot of pressure. We need to figure out what gifts to get everyone else, figure out how to schedule in holiday parties, figure out how to get to the kids’ Christmas plays, and on top of all that figure out how to keep running and working out so that we can still have a little bit of eggnog and Christmas cookies without gaining too much extra weight.

And yet, with all this holiday craziness going on, I continue to read blog posts and running magazine articles about how to improve performance, get faster, avoid injury, eat healthier, cross-train, breathe better, qualify for Boston, run barefoot, and add intervals and tempo runs to my routine.

I no longer have a routine. I have run a total of three times in December.

And that’s OK.

I wrote a post on my other blog about being Too Busy. In that post I pointed out that it’s not a matter of how busy you are, it’s a matter of what your priorities are. And you get to set your priorities.

It’s OK for your priorities to change.

At this time of the year, my running drops down a notch or two on the priority list. Long term, it’s still very important to me. But is it more important that I get a run in today, or that I wrap gifts for the kids?

I have made conscious choices about my priorities, and I accept that. I choose to put my family first. I choose to enjoy the holidays. And I choose not to get stressed about running less.

Running less doesn’t make me any less of a runner. This season, running less means that I can be a better dad.

I accept that, and I’m happy with that.

One you have made your choices and set your priorities, accept them. And be happy with them.

I wish you all happiness, health, prosperity, and peace this holiday season and throughout the New Year.

An old friend of mine from high school who has a successful psychiatry practice in upstate New York recently published a blog post on addiction that got me thinking… What is the tipping point at which something is no longer a hobby, an interest, or even a way of life – but becomes an addiction?

Can one be addicted to running?

Dr. Ferraioli points out in his post that addictions “…DISCONNECT us from ourselves and from our real lives; and that includes the people in our lives such as our children, our spouses, our friends, and our communities, among others.”

Many of us use running to escape. For me, it’s a brief period in the day where I can clear my head and find respite from everything else that’s going on. And I think that’s a very healthy thing. Everyone needs time to “recenter” and many of us find that time running.

But can you take it too far?

As with anything else in life, the key to success is balance. Ask yourself, does your running strengthen your family relationships or strain them? Is your family included in your running goals, or does your running make your family feel excluded? Does running bring you closer to the ones you love, or does it disconnect you?

If you find yourself on the wrong side of the balance, now is the time to take action. Talk to your family. Include them. Listen to them. Value them. And then take another look at your training plan and make sure that it gives you the balance you need. Unless you’re a professional athlete, it’s OK to cut back on your training. It’s OK to not hit a PR every time. It’s OK to give yourself a break for the sake of your family.

My family has had a very busy summer this year. I’ve been lucky to log two runs a week lately, and I’m happy with that.

I hope to run well into my old age, but I know that the day will come when I will no longer be able to run. My joints will be too old and my muscles too weak. I expect that when that day comes I will not regret a single missed run, failed training plan, unshed pound, or cancelled race. Instead, I will cherish the extra time I got to spend with my family, and hope that we grew to be a stronger family because of it.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

From A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

Over the last two weekends, my kids ran two different fun runs. (That’s my youngest in the photo)

One was sponsored and coordinated by the local hospital, with the goal of promoting health and fitness. The other was sponsored and promoted by a school, with the goal of raising funds for the financial aid fund.

One had post-race entertainment consisting of healthy homemade foods, a variety of physical activities, and a live band playing kids’ music. The other had a free can of soda pop for each kid that ran.

Pop Can Fun Run

The Pop Can Fun Run drew hundreds of local kids between the ages of 2 and 10 to have fun and promote health and fitness. The race was run in heats by age (2 year old race, 3 year old race, etc.). The 2 through 4 year olds ran down the block about 0.1 miles. The 5 through 10 year olds ran down the block and back, about 0.2 miles. Boys and girls ran in separate heats, and it was especially great to see so many girls at the race! (The photo above is the start of the 5 year old girls race)

Yet, with all its potential, the Pop Can Fun Run left a bad taste in my mouth. Despite the event being sponsored and run by the local hospital, right next to the hospital, to supposedly promote health and fitness, each participant (including the 2 year olds) could claim their own can of soda pop after they ran.

Pop Can Fun Run finisher’s tent

Something just doesn’t sit right with me when a hospital hands out free sodas to kids. Yes, they did need to run for it. But is that what we’ve come to? We need to bribe our kids with soda to get them to come out to a race?

“I’d do anything for a soda — I’d even run!”

I should expect higher standards from a hospital, and yet somehow I’m not surprised. What a great event for educating the public! Yet there were no nutrition pamphlets or advice to be seen, no nurses talking to families about how to keep their kids healthy, and no displays or activities promoting fitness. Wasting such a golden opportunity for public health education would have been bad enough, but handing out free soda to kids took the cake.

For more on why I think handing out sodas to kids is such a bad idea, check out my previous post on the scary truth about sugar for runners.

CVMS 5K and 1 Mile Family Fun Run

Although not as well attended as the Pop Can Fun Run, the CVMS 5K and 1 Mile Family Fun Run (which drew less than 200 participants across both events) was outstanding! Sponsored by the Chemung Valley Montessori School, the purpose of this event was “to help our students, families, and communities focus on the benefits and fun of fitness while fundraising and supporting those in need.”

Both the 5K and 1 Mile events were kid-friendly — and in many cases entire families ran together. The entire 1 mile course, and the majority of the 5K course, went out and back on a rail trail (pictured below). Some kids ran the whole way. Some ran and walked. Some stopped to pick flowers or look for birds in the marshland adjacent to the trail.

CVMS 1 Mile Family Fun Run

After the race, kids and families were welcomed onto the school playground to enjoy homemade food including (but not limited to) a variety of fresh fruits, hummus, pasta salad, and granola bars. An inflatable was set up next to the kids’ band so the children could bounce away what energy they had left after running while the band played kid-friendly music like “Cheese Man”.

All in all it was a fabulous family event — just what a family fun run should be.

So what do you think? Am I being too hard on the hospital? Chime in with your comments below!

Do you ever wonder why kids grow up wanting to be Michael Jordan, but not Ryan Hall? Or if distance running will ever be able to match the popularity and advertising budgets of MLB?

The article then goes on to speculate how showcasing events online through new media or making races more spectator-friendly can lead to an upsurge in popularity for running.

Interesting ideas, but they’re based on the flawed assumptions that more popular equals better and that professional athletes who can be idolized by the masses are a necessary ingredient for attracting the masses.

This connection to athletes and spectators is vital in creating a growing and loyal fan base. … “There is an obvious connection between the masses and the professional athletes, some of whom began as mid-packers.”

Bigger isn’t better

For all the millions and millions of baseball fans out there, how many of them actually play? Maybe they played in little league or scraped up stickball games when they were kids, but I would speculate that the vast majority of adult baseball fans are spectators — and that spectating does nothing to advance the sport. Sure, it brings in billions of dollars of revenue and gives people something to talk about at work the next day. But it also creates problems like the Barry Bonds steroids scandal.

Is this what we want for running? As it is, running is already plagued with its share of blood doping and other scandals. Fortunately, if you Google “running scandal” you find lots of scandals, but nothing related to running until you get to the bottom of the page. Try the same thing for “baseball scandal” and you get pages and pages of examples of exactly what we don’t want to happen to running.

Don’t spectate, participate!

The other downside to the media glitz and high profile image of professional sports, like baseball, is that it actually reduces family participation. Kids no longer want to play ball with Dad. Dad isn’t good enough anymore. They’ll sit on the couch or in a stadium and watch a ballgame with Dad while he drinks a [few] beer[s]. But instead of playing ball as a family in the backyard, Mom and Dad shuttle their kids off to endless T-Ball and Little League games in hopes that they can be good enough to make Varsity in high school, and then play ball in college. And while Junior has dreams of getting drafted and growing up to be just like Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa, Mom and Dad continue to watch from the sidelines.

I think the beauty of running is that it isn’t spectator-friendly. The only way to enjoy running is to participate! And through participation, we turn an individual endeavor of striving to achieve milestones of new distance records and PR’s into a community event where it’s more about supporting each other than competing against each other.

I don’t expect my kids to grow up being active and fit because they want to be just like Usain Bolt. But I do hope that in time they will emulate my commitment to running and physical fitness because I can set an example for them that may show them how to live happier and healthier lives.

And it is in this way that Running gives each of us the opportunity to be better role models for our kids and our families than Barry Bonds could ever be.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Running in the Family would like to wish all Moms, whether running mothers or mothers of runners, a very happy, wonderful, and joyous Mother’s Day!

All the wonderful moms out there go the extra mile every day to keep our families running. But with all the running around moms do to keep their families running, there’s not much time left to get the right info to keep yourself running. So with you in mind, here’s a selection of running resources for moms to help you get more out of your running. I personally follow each of these and hope that you’ll find them as useful and enjoyable as I do.

Healthy Mom Blogs

You may or may not live in a community where there is a group of active moms who support each other. Even if you don’t, you can tap in to a virtual community of fit moms. Check out some of these mom-friendly fitness blogs.

• Training for Fun — Training for fun, by Luann Abrams, shows you how to stay fit with your kids, instead of in spite of them. The site is packed with great ideas for turning workout time into playtime with your kids, and at the same time helping them to grow up healthy and share in your fitness values.
• Bookieboo — Bookieboo is a place where moms into fitness, weight loss, and healthy living get together to share. Among other things, it features the Bookeiboo blog with health and fitness tips, tons of resources, and Mamavation — a group of moms helping each other to reach their fitness goals together. Created by Leah Segedie, Bookieboo includes a bunch of contributing moms and a very active community. (free registration required to access most site features)
• Workout Mommy — Workout Mommy, written by Lisa who was a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, features other fit moms and shares the joys of challenges of staying fit with little kids. Workout Mommy is also a community moderator on Bookieboo.
• The Well Mom — This blog, written by Heather Cabot features a wealth of articles helping moms to stay well-nourished, well-centered, well-toned, well-pampered, and well-connected.
• Active Kids Club — Active Kids Club started as an outdoor playgroup in Toronto, and has turned into a fantastic website with tons of articles, resources, and information for how to stay active with your kids, and how to form outdoor playgroups of your own!

Recommended Family Blogs

While not specifically fitness-related, these are blogs that all moms can relate to. Some are insightful, some are funny, and hopefully you will enjoy them all.

• Zen Family Habits — This minimalist blog shows you how to enjoy your family life more by simplifying and focusing on the things that really matter to you.
• The Bad Parent — The Bad Parent is a column hosted on Babble.com which features “taboo-breaking confessions” from parents who either didn’t quite do things by the book, or who perhaps even completely ignored the book and forged their own path. Definitely worth a read!
• Rocks in my Dryer — Hilarious takes on family life that we all can relate to. For a good sampling of what you’ll find there, check out the posts on the Best Of page.

Running Resources

Here’s a list of my favorite running resources. Although these aren’t “just for moms,” I think a list of resources for moms would be incomplete without these.

• RunAddicts — Fabulous professional blog for runners with great tips and articles.
• John “The Penguin” Bingham — I miss reading “The Penguin’s” column in Runner’s World, but you can still follow him online! A definite “must read” for all non-elite runners (like me).
• Runner’s World — The ubiquitous runner’s magazine online.
• Road Runner Sports — The World’s Largest Running Store. This is where I buy all of my running shoes and running gear! (affiliate link)

If you know of any great running resources for moms that you would like to share, please let us know about them in the comments section!

I hope you find these resources to be useful, informative, and enjoyable. But most of all, I hope that you find the opportunity this Mother’s Day to do something that makes you feel special. Happy Mother’s Day!

Losing focus on your running goals?

How are you doing with your running and fitness goals? How is the rest of your family doing?

As the Holidays pass and we become re-absorbed into the activities of our daily lives, it gets easier and easier to find excuses — especially at this time of year. It’s too cold to run outside … It’s too dark to run in the morning … It’s too dark to run in the evening … I’m getting tired of the treadmill and wish I could just run outside … I’ll just skip today … I’ll get back on track tomorrow …

Publish your running goals and keep track

One of the best ways to make sure you don’t slack off is to publish your running and fitness goals and track your progress. It doesn’t have to be complicated. One technique is to just post your goal in big letters on the fridge or the family bulletin board — DADDY WILL RUN 3 TIMES A WEEK. Then keep a log sheet handy and write down each time you complete a workout or otherwise make progress towards your goal.

You can also use some great online tools to make your goals public.

• Daytum.com is a simple and attractive site where you can post goals and track metrics for free. This is the site I’m using to aggregate and track my Run 48 States progress. Create your page in a few minutes, then post it on Facebook, Twitter, or email it to friends that you know will keep you honest.
• MapMyRun.com (affiliate link) is a comprehensive site that lets you log workouts, publish them to your Facebook and Twitter accounts automatically, and view metrics in a variety of different ways. Better yet, if you get your running friends on it as well, you can link your profiles and see what your friends have been doing to keep each other honest.
• Runkeeper.com is another online option that is a bit more streamlined than MapMyRun. It has less functionality, but is much easier to use and is better designed. You input your workouts on your iPhone (support for other devices coming in the future) through the RunKeeper app available through the App Store for free. RunKeeper then charts your progress both on your iPhone, and on their website. It integrates nicely with the GPS capabilities of the iPhone, plotting your course on a map during your run and providing statistics for distance and pace. It also integrates nicely with Facebook and Twitter, and allows you to build a network of running buddies called your “Street Team.”

There are plenty more out there. These are just the ones I’ve used. If you have a great suggestion, let us know about it by leaving a comment!

Rely on your family for support

Believe it or not, your family wants you to be successful in your running and fitness goals. Think about how you feel about them. Don’t you want your spouse to be healthy? Don’t you want to help your spouse find time to work out? Don’t you want your kids to be healthy and to realize their goals? Well your family wants that for you too.

You should have shared your fitness goals with your family when you set them. If you didn’t, share them now. OK, maybe not right now, but do it today. Make sure your family knows what you’re trying to achieve, and that they understand why.

Then ask them for help. If you are starting to find yourself struggling to keep up with your commitments to yourself, tell them what your challenges are. While you’re at it, don’t make it all about you. Ask them how they’re doing on their fitness goals. Work together as a family, as a team, to really understand what each of you wants to achieve — and then support each other and help each other be successful.

Working together and keeping your lines of communication open helps your entire family support each other. You can celebrate each other’s successes. You can help each other deal with challenges as they come up. You can use your running and fitness goals to bring your family together, and keep each other on track.

This week’s Sunday USA Weekend newspaper insert contained a brief article entitled “How to sneak fitness into your children’s lives” (online version here), highlighting a book by Larysa Didio called Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness into Your Child’s Everyday Life.

For some reason, the article troubled me as I was reading it, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. After all, anything espousing fitness for kids has to be good, right?

And then I figured out what was bugging me so much.

Family fitness is not something you should “sneak” in

Family fitness is not the same as hiding the dog’s medicine in his dogfood. It’s not something that’s supposed to be good for you, yet so unpalatable that you need to sneak it in.

Somehow, deceiving our children holds a strange attraction on parents. From Santa, to the Easter Bunny, to the Tooth Fairy — tricking our kids has become part of our parental culture.

One day my kids used a kit to make little colorful martians out of gel. When they weren’t looking, the martians disappeared because “their spaceship took off!” For the next half hour, I would make the martians keep reappearing somewhere else in the house when the kids were looking the other direction so that they could be rediscovered to squeals of delight moments later. The kids had fun with it. We had fun with it. But I don’t think our kids will grow up into adults who believe that little martians really did fly around our house that day.

I also don’t think that parents expect their kids to grow up believing in Santa, or the Easter Bunny, or Leprechauns, or all the other cute little pranks we play on our innocent children. So if we expect our kids to figure out our subterfuge as they mature and grow out of it, then why would they not also “grow out of” our fitness subterfuge?

If the only way you can get your kids to stay fit is by sneaking exercise into their lives, what happens when they grow up and move out? Parents should be preparing their kids to live their lives on their own by helping them learn how to make good choices, not by pushing our choices on them through stealth.

Family fitness should be something fun! It should be something you want to do with your kids, and also something that your kids want to do with you. It’s not just about doing it because it’s good for you. It’s about enjoying activities together, and enjoying a healthier lifestyle together.

So how do you make family fitness enjoyable?

On this count, the article pretty much has it right — create fun challenges; give them the tools (although I don’t particularly see how replacing dining-table chairs with fitness balls could possibly end well); and be fit together.

I think the more open you are with your kids about fitness, the more they see you living a healthy lifestyle, and the more you include them in your activities, the more you will all enjoy fitness together.

People are catching on. People want to have fun with their families and they want to have healthy families. Families want to do fun and active things together, and more and more resources are becoming available to help families do just that. (In fact, there’s a great website in my blogroll focused entirely on how to make fitness fun with your family.)

Take a walk with your kids, play tag, go orienteering together, go on a bike ride, go swimming, set up an ad-hoc obstacle course in the backyard. Do anything, just do it together. Your kids will keep begging you for more, and you won’t have to sneak it in.

In all fairness, I haven’t actually read the book in question (and, frankly, am not adding it to my book list after this article), but I ask anyone who has to please comment below with your views. And if you have some creative ideas for including kids in fun and healthy activities, please share them in the comments!

The Santa Shuffle — Chicago, IL

If hundreds of runners in Santa suits don’t motivate you, then I don’t know what will!

When you’re running a family, it’s hard to find time to run. And it’s easy to make excuses not to.

“I have an early meeting, so I can’t run in the morning.“
“I don’t know what people at work will think, so I can’t run at lunch.“
“I’m too tired, so I can’t run in the evening.”

Finding or forming a group (like the “Lunch Ladies”) is a great way to keep yourself from falling prey to your excuses. If you know other people are expecting you to be there, you’ll be less likely to wimp out. (if you didn’t click the Rachel Ray Show link earlier to watch the video, now would be a good time)

And even if you don’t run with a group, you can use friends and family to keep you on track. Tell them your fitness goals. Tell them how often you want to work out. And then ask them to check in on you and keep you honest. Of course, if they’re good friends, they would never make you feel bad for missing a run here and there. After all, running should be a way to improve fitness and relieve stress — not add to your already high stress level. But just knowing that they know you want to run, and that they support your fitness goals, will make you run more and run better.

Finding a wacky race is also a great way to shake it up and add some fun to your routine! There are lots of great local races like the Santa Shuffle all over the place. All you have to do is find them, and then sign up! Sometimes they can be tricky to find, so if you know of one go ahead and post it in the comments!

Then take your family along with you, and have a great time together!

After we finished a wonderful shrimp and risotto dinner this evening, my wife said, “You should go to the gym tonight.” I was feeling rather full, but it was my turn to work out — and I was excited to add some mileage to my Run 48 States endeavor. So I changed into my running clothes, and off to the gym I went.

My plan was to run an easy 10K. I didn’t want to push it after dinner, but I really did want to start racking up some miles.

The reality

But once I started, my “easy” pace didn’t feel so easy. I told myself that after a mile the dinner would settle and I’d feel better. A mile passed and then I told myself that after two miles I’d feel better.

The second mile was harder than the first. By 2 1/2 I was just hoping to be able to make a 5K. I finally did make 5K (barely), and then I had to stop.

At first I was really disappointed.

Disappointed that I didn’t run the whole distance. Disappointed that I ran 5K at such a slow pace. Disappointed that I felt so tired and spent.

But what was my alternative? To not have run at all?

The realization

Sometimes any run is better than no run. A slow 3.1 miles is better than 0 miles. 300 calories burned is better than 0 calories burned. And trying and making an effort is better than not trying at all.

So what if I didn’t run 10K? I ran. And it wore me out. And then I listened to my body and stopped.

There’s nothing wrong with that — and I got home in time to help put the kids to bed.

That’s good enough. In fact, that’s great!

Flickr: andrepierre

Yes, the Christmas season is upon us. I hope you have the opportunity to use this wonderful time of year as a chance to connect with family and friends, and to reflect on what is truly important in life. If you are spending time with family, why not invite them to run with you while visiting — so you can burn off those extra Christmas cookies while spending time reconnecting. And speaking of Christmas cookies, don’t forget to enjoy them in moderation.

May your holidays be merry, may your family be healthy, and may you enjoy peace and prosperity in the new year!

Downhill skiing and snowboarding

Skiing and snowboarding are both great for working leg muscles that don’t usually get much attention when you run. You may not feel particularly winded after a run down the slopes, but you are definitely working those leg muscles — especially your thighs! Make sure you take your family along with you and enjoy the slopes together. Just because you’re a better skier than your kids doesn’t mean you can’t ski with them. Unlike running, which is constant forward motion, downhill skiing tends to be bursts of activity with rests in-between. So if you make it down a part of the slope before your kids, take a break. Watch them come down after you, or enjoy the scenery. Family days out on the slopes are guaranteed to be fun, and you’re building memories for your kids that they will always treasure.

Cross-country skiing

Cross country, or Nordic, skiing is a favorite among distance runners. You’ll definitely get your heart rate up and will enjoy a very vigorous workout, especially if you’ve got a few uphill slopes to battle through. If you’re new to cross-country skiing, make sure that you don’t dress as warmly as you would for downhill skiing. You won’t be sitting still on a lift freezing, so you can wear much lighter layers. In fact, I would recommend dressing like you would for a run — just make sure you have waterproof pants or leggings. Beginners should start out on a flat course. The downhills take some getting used to, so you’ll want to get comfortable on your skis before attempting them. You can also bring your family for an outing together! Just make sure to take rest stops to let the slower family members catch up. Remember, when you’re trying to have fun as a family while doing something healthy — you don’t want to leave your kids or your spouse behind! Save the Olympic effort for when you’re out solo.

Snowshoeing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iwona_kellie/

Snowshoeing is a fabulous way to keep running no matter how deep the snow gets! And, no, I don’t mean on those wooden and string things that you see in the movies. Running snowshoes are lightweight, streamlined, and built for speed. (OK, maybe not for speed…)

You’ll find that you will need to modify your gait a little so you don’t stumble over your snowshoes. It may feel clumsy at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. You’ll also want to make sure you have the right gear — heavy or clunky snowshoes can be very frustrating.

This snowshoeing article from active.com has some great information to get you started.

Sledding

Photo credit: phaewilk from morguefile.com

Of course the most family-friendly way to cross train is sledding! You’ve probably never viewed sledding as cross-training (and may not have even tried it since you were a kid), but if you get out there with your kids and spend a few hours trudging uphill after each thrilling ride down, then you’ll really be feeling it the next day. Besides, your kids will get a kick out of seeing Dad or Mom try to fit on one of those little plastic discs, slide down the hill, and wipe out in a cloud of white powder. If you’re at a loss for nearby sledding, look for a golf course. They usually have lots of hills and rolling terrain, even in areas that are largely flat.

By including your family in these fun winter activities, not only will you get a good cross-training workout but you will also help your family stay fit while all having fun together. And when you’re done, you can all share some hot chocolate while laughing about Dad’s huge wipe-out!

Is it just me, or was running really a lot easier BC (Before Children)? Back in the BC era, there seemed to be so much more flexibility and time for running. But now that I’m in the AD era (American Dad), things are different. With dropping off and picking up kids from school, taking them to soccer practice and other activities, parent-teacher conferences, school volunteer activities, and everything else that goes on in American family life, I’m usually logging miles in the minivan instead of in my running shoes. So how does one find time to run without compromising family commitments? Here are a few tips.

Make running a team effort

If you and your spouse both run, then it’s not just you. Your spouse is feeling the same pressures to balance family, work, and working out that you are. Have you talked about it together? That’s the first place to start. In order to successfully fit running into your family life, you can’t make all the decisions on your own. Make some time – maybe even get a babysitter go out for a nice dinner together – and talk to each other about your individual and your family fitness goals.

You should both agree on what priority running and fitness takes in your individual lives, and on how much time to devote to it. You should also agree on what priority running and fitness takes in your family’s life, and how you want to promote it. If you want your children to grow up with a love for fitness, then they need to see it in practice as a cooperative team effort – not just something that either Dad or Mom does. If your children can see you make trade-offs to make sure your partner has time to work out too, then they will learn by example to respect the needs of others.

Take turns running

Unless you’re an elite runner, you probably don’t need to run every day. Three or four days a week is plenty. You may not hit a PR each time you race, but in the grand scheme of things how important is that really? I trained for my last marathon running only three or four days each week and completed the marathon in 3:45. It wasn’t a PR for me, but it was good enough. And if you only run three or four days each week, you can then take turns with your spouse so that both of you have time to work out.

One good approach is to swap mornings. One of you runs or works out first thing in the morning while the other gets the kids ready for school. Running first thing in the morning is great because it means all of those surprises that come up during the day and steal your time won’t have a chance to pop up before you get your run in. And by taking turns, you each get to spend time in the morning with the kids so that no one parent has to bear the brunt of getting the family going in the morning.

You can also take turns with challenging races. You don’t have to both train for a big race at the same time. You can sacrifice a few days here and there so that your spouse can focus on her race. Then after you’ve supported her and cheered her to the finish, she can recover and skip a few days while you train for your race. Choosing a race and taking turns makes it easier to figure out who has to give a little when other commitments compete for your training time.

Run at lunch

If your employer supports physical fitness (something which more and more employers are supporting nowadays), then make full use of their policy and do your running at lunchtime! It’s a fabulous way to de-stress and refocus in the middle of your hectic workday. After your run you’ll return to work refreshed and energized, and you may even find that some great ideas came your way during your run.

One problem that lunchtime runners encounter frequently is lunchtime meetings. The first thing you need to do is block out your running time on your work calendar so that people know you are busy. The second thing you need to do is tell the people you work with that running is very important to you, that your employer supports physical fitness, and that you like to run at lunch. The third thing you need to do is be a little flexible. If you have an important client meeting, or if lunch is the only time you can get a group of key people together, then it won’t hurt you to skip a day here and there. But if you find yourself skipping your lunchtime runs regularly, then ask yourself if lunch is really the best time for you.

What if your employer doesn’t support physical fitness? Well, the last thing you want to do is sneak out to go running. That’s a good way to get fired (which would then give you plenty of time to run…). If your employer doesn’t support physical fitness, your choices are to find another time of the day to do your running, or get with your co-workers and find out how many other people there are who value fitness as much as you do. If you can band together and present your case professionally (fit employees are happy employees, fit employees take less sick days, fit employees have lower medical bills…), then maybe you can persuade your employer to change their policy. A good place to start is usually HR.

Keep running in perspective

Regardless of which approach you choose to take, remember what role you decided running should play in the life of your family and children, and keep it in perspective. By agreeing on your approach in advance, you’ll find that you really will be running with your family commitments, and not running from your family commitments.

For the first post, I’d like to point to you an excellent post on the Running / Jogging Blog by Christine Luff about running while visiting relatives. What I like most about her post is this part:

“Ask family members to join you. See if anyone in the family wants to run with you. You may have to run a slower pace than you’re used to, but use it as a recovery run. … You might be surprised to find out that other family members are looking for an excuse to get out of the house and be active. Going for a run or enjoying the outdoors together could be a great bonding experience.”

What better way to kick off running in the family than to invite your family to join you for a Thanksgiving run? You could even look up a nearby Turkey Trot and do a race together.

Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays ever. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family, reconnect, and recharge. And if you regularly run to recharge, then go ahead and start incorporating that into your Thanksgiving holiday. You never know, you may even start a new family tradition!