A Run Around the Block with my Kids

This evening I had to do a two-mile run.  I could have done it this morning, with the baby in her jogger, but it was a bit on the chilly side and she has had a runny nose.  It was 34 degrees this morning.  Instead of running, I decided to go grocery shopping.  I think I have everything I need for the week.  I am not, and never have I been, a fan of shopping, of any kind.  I don't like going grocery shopping or clothes shopping.  I am sure I would enjoy chocolate shopping, but have never gone on a shopping trip, strictly to buy chocolate.

When my husband got home from work, I went downstairs and asked the children if they wanted to go on a two-mile run with me.  I figured they did so well in the mile run, I might as well see if they wanted to run again.  They didn't agree to two-miles.  Since I was going to run with them, I was going to do three laps around the block and then to the end of the street and back.  My two middle children (9 y/o daughter and 5 y/o son) decided they would run with me.  They agreed to one trip around the block, which is .62 miles.  I figured that was better than nothing.

My daughter grabbed a pair of flat church shoes and my son put his shoes on the wrong feet.  I told my daughter not to wear her church shoes, and I told my son to switch the shoes to the right feet.  My son listened, my daughter didn't.  She ran around the block in her church shoes.  She did well.  She would have come in first in the trip around the block, except for my son decided to run across the lawn when we got in front of the house, instead of going up the driveway like my daughter did.  He laughed the whole time he ran up the lawn announcing he was going to win.  I smiled. 

While we were running and were on the street we don't live on, a little girl asked my daughter where my older son was.  My daughter announced that he was at home watching "Alex vs Alex."  I thought it was cute that she was asking.  I asked my daughter, when I got home, who the little girl was.  She is someone that has a crush on my son. 

When we got back to our house, and my children ran inside, I still had over a mile to run.  I decided to run to the children's school and back.  The fewer times I run passed my house, the less tempting it is for me to run inside and not finish the complete mileage I need to.  When I got to the school, I decided I would run half way down the block so when I got home I wouldn't have to run back to the church to complete the 2 miles.  Halfway down the block, I decided that I would run all the way to Main Street, then down to the road that connects with mine, and then home. 

When I got home, we ate dinner.  I had it ready before I went for my run.  I had expected that the kids and my husband would eat without me.  They didn't.  We had Shake-N-Bake chicken tenderloins, brown rice, I added fresh tomatoes, green onion and cheese to mine, and salad.  It was a good meal.

After dinner, I figured out how far I ran.  I love mapmyrun.com .  It lets you figure out the distance by mapping out where you ran.  I ended up running 2.15 miles.  It was a nice run.  The things I love most about running is that, to me, it is a stress reducer, anxiety reducer, and anti-depressant.  It also helps that it is free.  I enjoy running outside, so I don't need a gym membership.  I do need to buy new running shoes, socks and clothing every so often, but I would need to do that otherwise.  I pay to run races, but that is because I choose to.  No one makes me run races that cost money, they just keep me motivated. 

When was the last time you ran with someone you love?  It is wonderful to get out there and run with someone else.  I look forward to running many races with my children, and perhaps, someday my husband will run with me too.