Coronavirus: how to run with your kids during the pandemic – Runner’s World (UK)

Your running club is closed, your upcoming marathon has been postponed and your kitchen has been turned into a makeshift classroom.

Lately, it seems the only training youve been doing is chasing little humans around the house and leaping over a construction site of toy towers. With no one to run with and no one to watch the kids while were in lockdown, your daily endorphin hit may already seem a distant memory.

But before you drop an iPad into their overly sanitised palms and begin frantic laps of your back garden, why not strike a two-for-one deal run with them?

Not only can you feel the burn without worrying the house will go up in flames in your absence, but youll also do some quality bonding and keep the family active during this stressful time.

Of course, it can be hard to get children out the door at all, let alone with their sweaty parents. The sound of running with mum isnt exactly music to most kids ears, so we got some pro tips from Aled Hughes, founder of Speed4Sport and top childrens running coach, on how to make this an enjoyable experience for all.

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If your child is not naturally athletic, you cant expect them to leap around with glee at the prospect of running with you. Hughes advises against launching into a continuous stretch, and instead recommends a softer introduction.

If I ask a group of children to run laps, within two minutes a proportion of them will be walking. Start off with a walk/run/walk session for however long your child is enjoying it.

The golden rule? Let them run the show. Kids love to feel important, so assign responsibility to maintain their interest: Let them use their stopwatch or timer so they are controlling the session.

For a lot of kids, running lives in the same bin as vegetables and homework. With many PE classes failing to teach it properly or using it as punishment, its no wonder the sport has such a bad rep. Try mixing some sprints into a fun game to undo these negative perceptions.

One of the most successful ways of getting children to run is not to tell them to run. We put children in small groups and we hide 15-30 objects. The children then move (run) to find all the objects as quickly as possible. Its like orienteering but we use pieces of paper with themes. For example, Find the animals.

If we want kids to want to run, a supportive attitude is crucial. Encouragement and praise foster a positive connotation with running, and will instil in them the confidence to continue the pastime on their own.

Giving children feedback is so important and those kind words about their effort and performance are the key to keeping children involved in running, says Hughes.

In the unlikely case youve forgotten, keep in mind that were in a pandemic. If you dont share a household with your kids or you just want to set an example, use the Follow the Leader trick to ensure social distancing.

The child is the leader and the parent, who is three metres behind, follows. Your child can run 60 seconds as the leader and then they swap over.

The takeaway? Running with your kid can be a blast, but the ingredients for success need to be measured carefully.

Linear runs and repetitive stretching may work for adult runners, but kids need something a little more lively to keep them motivated. Tailor the sessions to fit their needs, give them a valued role and most importantly dole out an endless supply of kudos.

Who knows, soon they might be the ones overtaking you on the roads.

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Coronavirus: how to run with your kids during the pandemic - Runner's World (UK)