As some of you already know, my life is upside down crazy right now. Running has taken a back burner with the hopes of trying to soon be able to fit in an occasional run. My stress handling skills are being tested to the maximum and I'm failing miserably without my sanity runs. My son, who used to swim competitively up to a year ago, had to quit due to ear problems. Since then he's explored some different activities (archery and guitar) but unfortunately they do nothing for his cardio fitness. He has been doing a community basketball program and we know realize how poor his fitness has become, despite being my little bean pole. So, as I was ranting to my hubby after work last night, he suggested we all go out for a short family run/walk. What a blast! My son didn't have any runners at home that fit so he chose to wore his big winter boots 😆 and off we went. We walked, we ran, we walked, we ran, we walked, we ran. We didn't go for very long (15-20 minutes), we didn't go very far (I didn't bring my phone so no clue how far we went, probably about 2k), but it was some great family time. I'm looking forward to our next family run, whenever it may be 😊
Fun Family Fartleks 🏃🏽🏃🏽🏃♀️: As some of... - Bridge to 10K
Fun Family Fartleks 🏃🏽🏃🏽🏃♀️
The family that fartleks together, has fun together! Or something like that.
Sounds like great fun and I hope that it helps your son gain back his fitness. He must have felt quite lost after having to stop swimming.
😂 we should get shirts made up that say that 😂
He was having so much ear pain, he was ready to quit. I think I was more lost than he was but it was tough seeing your kiddo cry at every practice due to pain. He's had ear tubes since he was 1 year old and the last set are "permanent" so they have quite a long tube. I suspect the pressure from his ear plugs and swim cap was just too much. The good thing about it, it opened up some time to explore other activities, but he's a typical boy who would love to play video games all day if we let him. He realizes how unfit he's gotten and I think he had fun so I suspect we'll be making it a regular activity. Yay! Although I can run a lot further than my family, they're faster than me, so it'll help with my speed, I suspect. Win-win 😁
Sounds great. Such a pity about swimming, it truly is the best exercise of all and one that you really can continue with for your entire life even well into old age, plus it opens the door to all sorts of other sports. Perhaps as he gets older his ears will improve and he'll be able to swim again, but it's definitely the right thing not to persist now.
I think training together sounds great, hope you all continue to enjoy it. I need to get my boy Antonio out there with me again.
Ah that sounds great 😊
It really was. I had had such a crappy day, it really was the last thing I wanted to do but felt great after. I'm so glad we did it and hope to make it a regular occurrence.
Sounds like fun - maybe something I should try with my youngest son, who I have so far failed to encourage in to a healthy lifestyle with my own love of running! I too have had a few busy and hectic months where running has not been as frequent as I would like - and am now loving getting back into a more regular run pattern. Sanity, it seems, is returning!🙂 Good luck.
We had tried last year but it didn't go quite as well. I'm not sure if him being a year older or just the realization of what his fitness has become was the change this time. It was cooler outside too, so perhaps that helped. I'm hoping he'll fall in love with it. I'd love to have a running buddy 😁. I'm looking forward to finding my sanity again, but am likely over a month off of it 😩
That sounds brilliant Sask!! And what a coincidence...my Son asked me the other day if I’d do C25k with him sometime!!! He says he wants to run with me at the parkrun one day, bless him!! So, even though it’s raining I’m going to get his trainers out later and take him out to do W1R1!! How lovely that you all ran together...even your Son in his winter boots, he have some right strength in his legs running in them!!!
Yay! That's great! My hubby said the same thing about running in his boots. I'm such a rule follower, I thought it was crazy to run in his boots but it worked. We'll definitely be picking up some new runners for home ASAP though 😂
That sounds great fun Allie...all the family running and enjoying time together😊xx
Thanks BBR. It was just what we needed after a tough day.
That’s awesome, sorry to hear about your son, it’s hard to find time in a busy family life. Try find some time as running will help the stress management.
So very true. It makes a huge difference and I've noticed my lack of running. It looks like Spring might be trying to peak around the corner, so hopefully it will be easier to get out for some short runs.
Sounds like great fun. You've hit on something there.
It sounds very fun and motivating for your son and a great way to have a quality get together time!!
SaskAlliecat, it sounds like you all had fun, and I’m sure your son got a lot out of it. What a shame he had to give up his swimming, but perhaps this will be the start of a love of running for him. And it’s a good time as he may get opportunities to get involved in athletics at school too.
Happy family fartleking. 🤓👍🏽
We've moved him to the school his Dad teaches at which will help with making the school athletics work better. He's just reaching the age of school sport's teams so it should be lots of fun. I've entered him in the kids fun run again at the trail race I'm running in the fall. If he falls in love with it, maybe I can convince him to run the 5k 🤞
Well, you've had more luck than I have Sask - I only managed to get one of my kids out once with me - after a couple of laps of the park she was done. Then she wonders why she runs out of gas playing soccer 
My wife and son just give me the "your joking, right?" look. I still keep asking though.
Your solution sounds like a great one. Probably did all of you some good! Maybe it can become a weekly thing?
I'm hoping for it! We tried getting him out a bit last year after I signed him up for the Kids FunRun at the trail race I did. It was like pulling teeth and less than fun but maybe this year will be different. He's really noticed the struggle in BBall this year so maybe that will be the motivation. I'd love if we made it a regular thing. It'll become my speed work because the boys of my family only seem to have 1 speed at this point - fast . I recall that from before when my hubby and I would try to run together. I'll do whatever it takes at this point and I don't mind an excuse to push the speed a bit, especially since we're keeping it as a loosey-goosey run/walk fartlek-type thing. We're all a wee bit competitive so when we got to our last little bit it was all out and AWESOME....kiddo had to rest in the snow bank to cool down afterwards 😂
Haha sounds like fun! If you all run a bit faster its great pace training. Just call it an intervals session 🙂 If your son is that quick in snow boots, he probably moves in a pair of runners.
Haha, ya. Just no stamina to run very far at this point. But that'll come with time.
How special that must be. I have a mental picture of your son running in big winter boots and it reminds me of GoogleMe who, I seem to recall, started this programme in similar footwear 🙂
Enjoy your next family run. Special memories 🏃🏃🏃
They're his huge snowmobile boots too but they're surprisingly light 😂. Glad to hear he's in good company .
Oh that's lovely! Irishprincess is right, I did start out in walking boots and indeed did half the programme in them. Not the worst footwear I've used either.
I particularly enjoyed hearing about your happy fartleks as I did the week one podcast with my Dad recently and could cheerfully have brained him by the end (although it did seem a bit cheeky to be telling someone who has been running for 80 years how to do it ie slower)
What a great thing to do, family fun exercise and a bit of stress release for you too. My daughter's been joining me at the gym for the last month since I can't run and it's been lovely, to have something to do together. We haven't really been an exercisey family other than walks (which go down like a lead balloon) so I am hoping this will be the start of something. Likewise you and your little running buddy x
That's wonderful that you and your daughter are also able to share some quality time together. Another side benefit of this c25k programme 😁
Thats great! Well done all of you!😊
Brilliant! It must be miserable for your son to have to give up something he loved but I'm so glad you all got out there and had fun. Hopefully you will be able to fit some runs in, but for now, fartlekking in snowboots (ha!) should lift the mood 
I've got the weekend off (Yay!!!) so should be able to get him some runners. There is still some snow in the forecast so maybe we'll all be fartlekking in snow boots 😂😭
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