Day 11
Today was a really fun day, and those are the kind of days you want when developing good habits for fitness and nutrition. My daughter and I ran in a race that goes through our home town. Most races that you sign up for have a fun run for kids with no entry fee. Race organizers do this so that kids learn the importance of exercise and so those kids as they grow up will continue to run in their races. If you plan on entering any races, which I recommend, and your kids what to participate, which I also recommend, the fun run will probably be where they should start. My daughter wanted a medal, which they don’t give out for the fun run so we ran the 6.2 mile race.
In preparation for the race she and I hydrated as you should before competing. As you can see in the pictures I also took a camelback so that we would have water throughout the race. When running with kids you want to have water for them. Most adults can run that distance without much water but kids really should have that water and it will cut down on them complaining to you though out the race or training run whichever the case may be. I also took a few supplements that add in the muscle accepting and increased volume of Oxygen as you work out. If you want to know what they are, send me a comment and I will let you know.
I can tell you from this experience that running a 10k with a 6 year is an exercise is patients more that muscular endurance. We both finished the 6.2 mile race and I was extremely proud of her determination and hard work. She finished 4th in the female runners under 20 years old category. I on the other hand finished close to the last of my catergory, but I will finished last everytime if it teaches my children to be active throughout their life.
Races like his help remind me that other people are doing the same thing I am. Some of the people are there to win the race and that is great for them but I am not at that level. I go because it gives me a goal, something for which to prepare. I saw the biggest change in my daughter. Throughout this last week as we trained and she frequently whined and sometimes cried because she didn’t want to run anymore. She just wanted, “to walk home.” As we ran in the race, the other racers would pass us and give her words of encouragement. Each time she received a compliment, she would smile and I could feel her confidence grow. On the rare occasions that we would pass another racer they would always express their admiration.
By the end of the race she was tired but she had the biggest smile on her face and the crowd literally went wild as she crossed the finish line. After she received her medal a nice lady came up to her and told her what an inspiration she was. My 6 year old recognized that she had done something special. She had set a goal and even though it was hard she discovered that she could do hard things, and she achieved what she had set out to do. The great thing about distance races is that, it’s an accomplishment to just finish. Give it a try and if you can’t run for any reason many races have a walk as well as a run. You can find a race near you at www.runningintheusa.com.
“…In the race for victory I am swift, determined and courageous armed with a fierce will to win…”
-The Infantryman’s creed US Army
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