The Family That Runs Together [Guest Post]

I was so flattered when Amanda, aka Miss Zippy, agreed to write a guest post for my maternity leave and I was even more excited when I read her post on raising a family that runs together! The thought of being able to run with my kids one day is a dream for me. Already, when I get back from a run, Roman asks me if I got a free bagel (after many, many times cheering me on at a NYRR race and sharing my bagel afterwards). We also have a fun ‘timing’ game where I have him run a little way to see how fast he can get (allegedly using a stopwatch, but really just for fun). Poor little monkey – already doing interval workouts, with a personal trainer mama, but he LOVES it. Amanda is sharing tips for raising a family of runners and like everything she writes, it’s smart, thoughtful and knowledgable.

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I’m very excited to have a chance to fill in over here while Carly is enjoying some “downtime” with her new little treasure. I met her in New York last fall at the Fitness Magazine #FitBlogNYC event and I’ve been a big fan of her site ever since.

Because my kids are quite a bit older than Carly’s, and because she and I are both runners, I thought I’d chat a little bit about raising a family of runners.

A little background first: Prior to having kids, my husband and I did some running together as we both did triathlons back in the day. Once our firstborn came along — a son, 14 years ago — we transitioned to a combination of solo running or shared runs with the baby jogger. Over time we added a daughter (she’s now 10) and my husband migrated away from running and more toward basketball.

It was always my hope that my kids would become runners, but even before becoming a parent I knew inherently that it would have to be their decision, not mine. Their first exposure was through example: they’d come along in the baby jogger or cheer me on at races.  Later, as they each reached an age where they could ride bikes, they’d sometimes ride along while I ran.

Slowly, though, I started giving them opportunities to try out running for themselves. We have a nearby one-mile fun run that meets every Tuesday in the summer, and from about the age of four or five, each of my kids wanted to give these ago, along with some of their neighborhood friends.

Both kids also joined the local running club’s junior program, which offers fall cross-country and spring track sessions. These led to our first 5ks together, first with my son, and later with my daughter.

Today, my daughter is still very interested in running and the two of us run several 5ks together each year. My son isn’t crazy about running, but I run a three-mile loop with him and two of his friends once every week to help keep him in shape for soccer. I cherish this time together, because as any parent of a teen will tell you, the opportunities to chat side-by-side are the best way to connect with your teen.

With a full decade of running with my kids under my belt now, I’ve learned a few things about making it stick.

• First, like I said, introduce your kids to it, but let it be their idea to continue. Pushing running will only lead to turning them off.
• Make it fun and leave talk of splits and results out of the equation. Kids have enough pressure these days—don’t make running one of them.
• Realize that while they can cover a distance they might not always be in the right emotional space to do it. Trust me, I’ve had some meltdowns on the race course with both kids! Just go with it and let them lead the way (or fall apart if that’s what they need to do!).
• Take them to trails if you can. My kids love the fun of running on trails—jumping over logs, slogging through streams, wildlife sightings—these are a bonus to kids when running.

These days, my daughter is considering her first 10k, which I will allow her to try next year. My son, who prefers team sports to running, can appreciate the fact that running helps his soccer. And I’m pretty sure he could kick my ass at a 5k if we were to toe the line together! Running has been a great bonding experience for us over the years and it’s my hope that it’s something we’ll share for decades to come.

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Amanda Loudin is a freelance writer, running coach, and the voice behind the MissZippy blog, a site for runners seeking experienced advice, the latest running news, and a fun exchange of all things running related.

Amanda has been running and competing in triathlons for 17 years now. Her athletic experience includes 15 marathons, an Ironman, several trail races, and everything in between, totaling more than 100 races. Still on the agenda: an ultra.

Amanda’s philosophy is that running fitness is a journey of learning and she loves sharing her passion with readers, fellow athletes, and running clients alike.

You can connect with Amanda at MissZippy, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.