It took me awhile after E was born to remember how to be an individual in addition to my new role of “Mommy.” Prior to her birth I had a variety of interests outside of my job, and it took me a few years to get back into some of the activities I loved pre-child. When I finally got back into running, I wanted to find ways to include E in one of my favorite activities. I think its important for her to see that physical activities can be fun.
I started by taking her for training runs in the stroller. When she started talking, I even taught her to say, “faster Mommy!” She has participated in one half marathon, and waited at the finish line with my support team for several others. She is my biggest cheerleader.
Recently, she has started wanting out of the stroller during shorter distances. She loves to run at the park, and wants to participate with me. At 3.5 she is still too little for most races, but on a trip to the zoo recently, I heard about their “Walk on the Wild Side” event. It’s a fun non-competitive 5k or 1mile walk that is put on annually. I signed us up for the 1 mile right away.
The event was fun, although the course felt a little longer then the advertised 1 mile. There were several zoo animal mascots cheering us on, E especially enjoyed the elephant. She had a few falls when she got excited and tried to move faster then her feet could handle, but she kept going. At the end of the walk there was an after party with music, and food. E was a big fan of the tarts donated by Kneaders.
It was a fun event, and a great way event to let E get a taste of organized walking. Maybe next year we can tackle the 5k. How do you get your kids involved in your favorite activities?
