Running with the J.

When I started out running last year, my then 3yr J, became intrigued with my running and wanted to go out running with me. At first I wasn't sure how or if we could, I always told him maybe tomorrow or one day soon. At the time I was doing my running in the morning before he would wake up so he would always ask if I went for a run when I got back. I always felt bad about the situation because he wanted to go soooo badly. So, on one of the warmer fall evenings after I got home from work I told him that we could go for a run together.  His face lit  up as he darted off to get his "running shoes" which were just a pair of regular tennis shoes. Shortly after I started running he began calling his shoes his "running shoes" and still does today. He was ecstatic, to say the least.

Being new to all of this myself I had no idea on what to expect or even how to approach the situation when we got out on the road.  I started with the basics, warm-up stretches, out for the run, and cool down. He was so excited that I had some problems keeping him calm long enough to a least go through the motions.  He just wanted to GO!! I can't really blame him, his energy is infectious and I wanted to go too.  I had planned on a short down the street and back with us walking some of the time. J had other plans and insisted on running where I ran in the morning.  It ended up being a .5 mile route, and he ran the whole time at a solid 11:48 pace.  I thought that this would be a good warm up for me for some activity later that evening, but turned out to be the evening activity for me.  When we finished he wanted to go again, however I couldn't.

We went out a few more times after the first, and he always wants to go faster and longer. J is now four and recently my wife found a pair of boys running shoes on sale that would fit him. They ended up being a little big for him, but not for long. We went out for a run in his new running shoes a few weeks later, along the way he started chattering about his side hurting. He was breathing pretty hard, but didn't want to stop. I knew what the problem was and I tried to instruct him on taking bigger and slow breaths. I was using exaggerated mouth  movements to help demonstrate what he needed to do.  He caught on fast, and we finished our run, it was just under .75 miles and we managed to maintain a pace of 10:21. 

J loves to go out for a run and the last time we went out I glanced back to see him doing the exaggerated mouth movements to slow down his breathing.  I can't wait to go out again. It is good times.

-A