Running is contagious

[Pheidippides]

After my marathon last month, my 8 year old daughter got all jazzed up about running and decided to try it out herself. Completely unsupervised by her parents, and without any help, she identified a race, got the necessary paperwork, and brought it to my wife and me. It was for a 5k supporting the local YMCA.

I figured that, bad knee or not, I could hang with an 8 year old for three miles, so I signed up for it with her. My 3 year old wanted to run too, so we signed him up for the half miler.

What a great morning. My 3 year old had to pee right at the start, so he was three minutes or so late out of the chute, but finished strong anyway - and was overjoyed and beaming to get the shirt and medal. The 8 year old and I set a goal to finish the 5k in less than 40 minutes, which I though would be a good challenge for her. With .25 mile to go, I looked at my Garmin and told her we had 3 minutes to finish, and she said we should push it. And we did (by her standards) and finished with a 39:48.

Fantastic way to spend the morning. I love that my kids are starting to love what I love. They are just flirting with running right now (whereas I've become involved in a torrid and steamy affair with it) but I'm hopeful they'll keep at it.

[LiveCoug]

Why can I not catch the running fever? I seriously cannot stand running for the sake of running. Give me a ball and some competition, and I will run, but going for a few mile run? Hate it.

Nice story btw.

[beelzebabette]

Why can I not catch the running fever? I seriously cannot stand running for the sake of running. Give me a ball and some competition, and I will run, but going for a few mile run? Hate it.

My brother used to run for a girl. He couldn't stand running for the sake of running either so he'd take a football with him. He'd sprint ahead with the ball tucked, toss it to himself while jogging, play catch a little with the people he was running with, or toss it back and forth with the guys he'd see picnicking at the various parks along the Provo River Trail.

If you thought you'd benefit from running, you could probably do the same at the closest park.

[byu71]

Why can I not catch the running fever? I seriously cannot stand running for the sake of running. Give me a ball and some competition, and I will run, but going for a few mile run? Hate it.

Nice story btw.

I can't get into it myself. Only one time did I run 1 mile a night and got it up to two miles. Right after my wife and I seperated, I decided to drop 20 pounds. The only way I could keep running was to tell myself if I quit, that meant I really liked my mother-in-law.

[Donuthole]

My brother used to run for a girl. He couldn't stand running for the sake of running either so he'd take a football with him. He'd sprint ahead with the ball tucked, toss it to himself while jogging, play catch a little with the people he was running with, or toss it back and forth with the guys he'd see picnicking at the various parks along the Provo River Trail.

If you thought you'd benefit from running, you could probably do the same at the closest park.

That plays out in my head like a Tom Cruise scene from a really cheesy early-90's flick, but maybe that's just me. I swear I can almost hear the Kenny Loggins playing in the background.

[SteelBlue]

That plays out in my head like a Tom Cruise scene from a really cheesy early-90's flick, but maybe that's just me. I swear I can almost hear the Kenny Loggins playing in the background.

The story would be complete if we found out he was running shirtless and in jeans.

[Slim]

When I take my 2 year old running in the stroller I let him get out and run the last couple hundred meters with me.

The first time I tried it I wasn't sure he would know what to do. I asked him if he wanted to run the rest of the way home and he said okay but had kind of a blank expression on his face. I thought that maybe he didn't understand the question. I unbuckled him and the instant his feet hit the ground he took off for home. He'd gone along on runs with his mom and dad ever since he was a couple months old and I guess he knew just what to do.

It is a lot of fun and I look forward to when he can enter those little races.

[venkman]

nikuman, I've gotta give you props for your running playlist. I added 'Disposable Heroes' to mine...it's the ultimate "get angry, kick it into gear just and effing run" tune. Worked like a charm on my last run.

[John McClain]

Every year since our kids were young we would schedule a race for the entire family, a 5K when the kids were younger, 10K when they got to be teenagers. Not all of my kids still run (4 out of 6 do), but they all have fond memories of those races when the entire family participated. Good on ya, Nikuman; your kids will remember these races as well.

[TheBYUGuy]

Why can I not catch the running fever? I seriously cannot stand running for the sake of running. Give me a ball and some competition, and I will run, but going for a few mile run? Hate it.

Nice story btw.

I don't get running. I've tried it and still don't get it. Maybe it's because I have a bum leg, but I don't think that's it.

nikuman, I was inspired by your marathon account, and for a few seconds I had the thought that maybe trying to get into running might be something I could kinda sorta try. Then I remembered how much I dislike running--and compound that with the facts that 1) pretty much everyone who gets into it suffers all sorts of pain and has to have therapy and 2) I have a bum leg, so those problems would be even worse for me--and that idea evaporated faster than Utah's hope to repeat as (shared) MWC basketball champions.

Was this the run over the river, or a different YMCA event?

[Pheidippides]

I don't get running. I've tried it and still don't get it. Maybe it's because I have a bum leg, but I don't think that's it.

nikuman, I was inspired by your marathon account, and for a few seconds I had the thought that maybe trying to get into running might be something I could kinda sorta try. Then I remembered how much I dislike running--and compound that with the facts that 1) pretty much everyone who gets into it suffers all sorts of pain and has to have therapy and 2) I have a bum leg, so those problems would be even worse for me--and that idea evaporated faster than Utah's hope to repeat as (shared) MWC basketball champions.

Was this the run over the river, or a different YMCA event?

Nope, the run over the river it was. Big Dave was there with his family too. Nice event - not much for organization, to be sure, but a great community race.

[happyone]

Niku, I'm glad your family shares running with you. I can't even get mine to go for a walk with me. They say I walk to fast. Even when I tell them they can set the pace, they beg off Thank goodness for the dog. He loves to walk

[falafel]

I hate running. But then I got fat-ish. So I started working out, doing cardio on the elypical. After a while, that didn't give me that "work-out" feeling, so I started running. After a week or two, I began to really like running. I even looked forward to it. Then I injured my leg and I stopped running. Now I hate running again.

[Pheidippides]

Niku, I'm glad your family shares running with you. I can't even get mine to go for a walk with me. They say I walk to fast. Even when I tell them they can set the pace, they beg off Thank goodness for the dog. He loves to walk

There were a bunch of people running this race with their dogs, which I thought was really cool. I wish we would have brought ours - he could have finished with us.

On a side note, it was really weird to look at the official times and see that I was #80 out of 100 in my age group. My 8 year old needs to pick it up!

[il Padrino Ute]

That running is contagious is why I try to stay indoors. I don't want to catch it.