No, not me.
HER!!!
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Our local YMCA has a children's running group, and Willow joined them for a session as they trained for and ran the YMCA's autumn 5K. My quirky, introverted girl did amazing, not just in the six weeks or so of regular training, but she also paired up without protest with an adult buddy whom she didn't know, and made her way without freaking out through a crowd of unprecedented proportions--
--and thoroughly, THOROUGHLY enjoyed the post-race buffet of delicious snacks:
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Although Will was hugely proud of herself afterwards (as she ought to be!), she decided not to enroll in the running club's next session: her tender, growing feet hurt in those Nikes that I don't approve of but bought anyway because I thought they'd be good for running, and my little homebody grew weary of the twice weekly practices on top of her weekly ice skating lesson, volunteer gig at the local food pantry, and park day with our homeschool group--for a kid who's happiest reading at home for as many hours as there are in a day, that's a LOT of scheduled extracurriculars!
But that's not to say that she won't be running, because guess who's trying (AGAIN!) one of those Couch to 5K workout programs that everyone keeps raving about on my Facebook feed?
Yes, ME!
I am so out of shape that I won't even estimate how long it will be before I have enough stamina to run with my kid, but 60 seconds of running alternated with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes is more running than I was doing last week, so there you go.
And if anyone has a better suggestion, ideally non-sweatshop originated (I can't BELIEVE I bought those Nikes, and they weren't even any good!), for a children's running shoe, I am seriously all ears.
Great job Willow!
ReplyDeleteCouple of suggestions. I recently ran across a Zombie 5k running program much like the couch to 5k, but with a Zombie twist. Might be fun to check out. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run!-5k-training/id566596422?mt=8
And as for shoes, this past year, once it started to warm up, Emma and I switched to invisible shoes(http://www.invisibleshoe.com/). Barefoot is said to be the best for a persons feet, and especially for children's growing feet. We tried them (I had to ease into them, but my child runs around bare foot anyway so she was set from day 1) and LOVE them. If I could get away with never having to wear shoes again, I would be happy, but Montana is not really conducive to 365 barefootedness.
It's funny that you mention the invisible shoe, because I've always run and walked barefoot on our indoor treadmill. I checked your link, and holy smokes, they have a DIY kit! I'm definitely checking it out in the spring.
ReplyDeleteAnd how did you know that the ability to outrun zombies was one of the major motivations in my wanting to try the 5K program again?
hehe, I just guessed that you were a zombie kinda girl.
ReplyDeleteThe cool thing about the kids invisible shoes is that they are a bit on the big side, but you can still customize them to fit the kiddos feet. We have re-punched the holes at least once, and re-laced her shoes a hand full of times as her feet have grown. One recommendation I have is to put duct tape over the laces that are on the bottom. My kiddo tends to scrap her feet along the ground a lot so her laces get rubbed through pretty quick. Also, check out 550 cord (the stuff used in parachutes). Much more durable then nylon.
I have an elk hide that I have been tempted to try to attach to my invisible shoes so I can wear them all year long. I just need to acquire the right tools for the job, then I may just try it.
Congrats Willow! My dh is a barefoot runner but on long runs, cold weather, or just hard roads he really loves his shoes from http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your couch to 5K program.
Ooh, those do look good for cold weather. I'm impressed by how all these professional-looking shoes have kids' sizing.
ReplyDeleteI'm also impressed by how much there is to know about running. A month ago, I seriously thought that runners wore Nikes. I'm pretty thrilled to know that they don't, actually.