Taking Your Kids to Your Race

On Labor Day weekend, my husband and I both competed in a 5K running race. The entry fee was cheap, the race wasn't too far away, and the mother of our babysitter was running, so we thought why not have the babysitter come along and watch our kids during the race.

I probably should have passed the kids off on the sitter once we hit registration, but I felt that I needed to make sure they were settled in. We tried to find a playground away from the downtown fair that was taking place, but we didn't find one.

I decided, with some conscious effort, to relax and let our great babysitter do her job and I went for a warm-up with my husband. It was nice to be out on the road with him and without a baby jogger for a change. 

The race course was an up-and-back so I saw my husband go flying by on the homestretch while I slogged out to the turnaround. 5Ks aren't my favorite races, I like longer distances, but I was glad that I participated and I even got an age group prize.

My daughters were delighted to watch the finish, high up on a hillside with their babysitter. They were safe and content. Would I take them along again for a race? Yes, as I think that it is good for them to see what a race is all about and as my older daughter could participate in the mile race another year. But, I wouldn't take them all the time, as it adds to logistics, and I'm not sure I like too many races anyways being the less competitive parent in the family.

The Double Jogger: A Love/Hate Relationship

This morning, my husband, Tom, asked if I wanted to run the four-mile town loop with him. I figured that we wouldn't be shelling out money for a babysitter and inquired, "the double jogger?" Our girls, now two and four years old, are weighing down the jogger and our preschooler is now doing so many sports on her own that totes in the jogger have become infrequent; plus she barely fits under the sun canopy. But the idea appealed to me. Our daughters contained and chatting with each other while we ran. The timing would be easier than each getting in our own run, too.

So, we headed out at about 10 a.m. The girls were great. Tom did the pushing in the heat so he had to work hard. I felt a little guilty about that so did take over for one uphill. We know that our double jogger days are about over, so the run for me was bittersweet. As much as you feel like you're pushing a wide load, there is a sense of accomplishment when taking two kids along on a run and they enjoy the companionship.

We used to see people running with preschool age kids in a jogger and scoff to ourselves that the kids were too big and old to be pushed. Now we understand. Parents do what works for them and when you've got a good thing going, you try to hold onto it as long as you can.