The Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run…If you are unfamiliar with the Bubble Dash Run, you might want to hurry and sign up for it now! The countdown has begun…
My kids (Anjali 13, Amisha 11 and Avinash 9) have seen me run in races for many years. Initially I really wanted to get them interested, but they just didn’t want anything to do with running…..So I waited patiently and developed some techniques which suddenly made running more exciting and fun to them.
Whenever I would bring home a new medal from a race, they would asked me about how they could get one….AHA!!!! and that was one of my ‘tools’ for starting to plant the seeds of why running is fun.
Here are 4 tips that worked for getting my kids excited about running without pushing them!
- Turn running into a game– ‘Who reaches the finishing line first’ or ‘who saw what the most along the route’ or ‘ how many runners had blue shoes during the race’..etc
- No pace pressure– As adults, we know that running is much more enjoyable at a slow, relaxed pace; kids on the other hand, only know one speed: Sprint! Kids really have no idea what is ‘pacing themselves’ means, so when you tell them to run, they’ll run top speed for a short distance amd then burn out. Try running with them at a slow pace, and teach them that the majority of their run should be at a pace where they can have a conversation. If it is too hard to talk, then they are running too fast.
- Set fun goals– Getting kids to try running is the easy part, but getting them to stick to it is much harder. I think the best way to do that is to sign them up for a race- fun race just like the Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run. Even if they end up walking a lot of it, they will get to experience the competition and the excitement of race day.
- Praise the effort– When kids do run, make sure you praise them up for it, regardless of their speed, or whether they took walk breaks etc. All it takes is just one discouraging comment from a parent to make them not want to run anymore!
Hmmmm……..The Bubble Dash runners will embark on a 5 KM run, walk, skip or dance along a route filled with huge bubbly clouds of rainbow-coloured foam. I am so excited…..My kids and I will be participating our first ever Bubble Dash Run and I can’t wait to see everyone getting involved in the foamy fun for a good cause. It is gonna be party-central jazzy pre-event warm up routine, entertainment, activities and lots of goodies in store for us….There’s fun for participants and spectators alike.
There is no age restrictions and the route is child friendly. The circuit is suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and strollers. It’s not a race, the aim is for everyone to pass the finish line frothy and smiling…Because as Great Eastern advertised, it is a fun run…..we all know running is not fun for everyone, especially kids……but it is pretty good for you and it’s for a good cause too!
So why not make it fun! Anytime working out can be enjoyable, outside and a bit different, SIGN ME UP!
Sign up now at http://www.greateasternlife.com
chrisywong.com 