Strategies for running with little kids

Strategies for running with little kids.

One of the frequent challenges cited by beginners was finding the time, especially when they had to deal with kids.  For you quick tip I’m going to give some fun ideas about how to find time to run when you have little kids to watch over.  We call ‘em rug rats and curtain climbers, but you may call them children.

Strategies for running with little kids.

“Don’t ‘find time to run,’ just run, then find time for everything else.”

• Run when they are sleeping.

Many people assume that you have to run during working hours, when in fact most successful runners find odd times to run.  I used to tuck my kids in at night and then head out for a run.  You may be able to do the same thing.  Take advantage of early morning or late at night.  I’ve had some of my best spiritual running experiences late at night or early in the morning.

• Take them with you.

The price and availability of running strollers, even if you have more than one kid, has become very accessible.  I can’t think of a better way to create a little adventure in everyone’s day.  When they get a little older there will be an age when their bicycle speed is the same as your long-run speed and you can all go down to the rail trail for an outing, I’ve done it.

You can also go to a track or a big parking lot or a playground, anywhere that’s fenced off and let them play on their bikes or bring a big bucket of playground chalk or a ball.  They can keep themselves busy and you can keep an eye on them while getting some work in.

• Keep then in the house.

Kids are a great reason to get a treadmill or other home workout routine.  Yeah – you will get constantly interrupted but you’ll get some exercise, whether it’s a stationary bike or simply a few pushups.

• Run around the house.

I once ran 5 miles in my own yard.   The kids were sleeping, I couldn’t leave them, but I didn’t have to stay in the house and watch them sleep.  I improvised a very short track around the periphery of my yard.  Yeah the neighbors think I’m crazy.

• Use them for the workout.

Load them into a cart or a sled, get a piece of rope and just drag them around.   They will get a big kick out of treating you as a horse and you’ll get a great strength workout.  Another good one is to go to your local sledding hill.  They sled down and you carry them and the sleds up.

• Practice when they practice.

I don’t know about your kids, but mine were going to some sort of practice as soon as they could walk.  Soccer, baseball, softball, etc.  I’d go with my running stuff on and either run around the outside of the field complex or go out for a road run while they did their thing.  Sure, the other moms gave me funny looks, but luckily I am not allergic to funny looks and I got my workouts in.

• Planning and using time opportunistically.

You can see from my examples that I was always thinking of ways to use dead time and combine two activities to get everything done.  If you look hard at your schedule, and are creative, you can find places to squeeze in a workout that won’t negatively affect anything else.  Even if it’s only 20 minutes – it counts.  Every 20 minute block is a brick in the wall.

Let me ask you an honest question.  Are your kids really keeping you from working out, or are they just a convenient excuse?