To make my kids do a 2 mile jog every mornIng?

[loopyluna]

They are 12, 10 and 6 and are already on holiday for 8 weeks. They are all pretty hyper and sporty. Bouncing on the trampoline, bike riding and swimming at the outdoor pool doesn't seem to be taking it out of them so I've decided that a nice morning jog would be a good way to kick off the day and help burn off a but more energy.
They moan a bit when I tell them to put down their ipods/ switch off the telly and get on their trainers but haven't put up much of a fight and seem to enjoy it

i think it is more about overuse and the damage on growing bones and strengthening tendons and ligaments. children's joints are more flexible as well, so they are also at risk. in theory, you would think running on a softer surface, such as grass, would be better. all the advice i have had is to let the kids run but to have them do shorter distances. my DS (5) goes to athletics weekly and the maximum distance they let them do on the track in one go is 400m and they never do more than about 800m of straight track running (including relays / hurdles) in any session.

however, they play lots of running games, do lots of plyometric stuff (jumping etc), play stuck in the mud etc. so it is more about having fun when running than actual straight ploughing round the track.

I think it would be a good idea to mix it up, when with my dd I would say 'right let's sprint to that bench' and then off we would dash, and when we got to the bench it would be 'speed walk to that tree'.

I have no idea how that would work with three kids of different ages, it was easy with one and we used to run a rather long cycle path doing it like that.

Ferris - yes, you are right about the overall mileage in the day. and that is fine. my kids (5 and 3) walk / run / skip / jump to school and back every day and my 3 yr old does an additional school run as she is now in nursery and goes back down at lunchtime for her afternoon session. she does about 1.8 miles of walking / running a day. but it's not all in one go. and i think that's the point. it is right for kids to be active and run around. and they can cover large distances in a day if you add it all up. but it is the repetitive nature of a 'distance' run which will cause the overuse injuries which is where the worry is here. not necessarily the accumulated distance that the child covers in the day.

You could do a handicap thing with them. The 12 yr old sets of from a point further away, the 10 yr old slightly nearer and the 6 yr old closer. Then they 'race' each other. So the 12 yr old runs further and the 6yr old less far. That would work for a sort of interval session.

My ds has various SN including ASD and hypermobility, he can't really run. He also has a scooter with massive wheels. Most mornings we go out and do up to 7 or 8 km, him scooting, me running, he loves it and it's lovely time spent together. Have had comments though. I wouldn't do it if he didn't want to.

My Dad used to take me running as a child and I HATED it. However these days I run up to 70 km a week and can't imagine life without it. I feel like he gave me a gift.

have been looking for some links as i know i read some advice on line. the only thing i can find which is similar to what i read is this. it refers to american research tho

www.realbuzz.com/articles/children-and-running-gb-en/

What a great idea. I'm sure they will intersperse it with walking periods if they get too tired. My athletics coach said that if athletes don't develop the proper motor skills young enough, its usually an insurmountable struggle for them to achieve any success in any sport. Although for under 11s I think its considered better to do sprints, jumps, etc. and short runs.

Ok, just read all the comments but not the link yet.
We live in the country so run around a huge corn field! It's a sort of dirt track, a bit sandy in parts so quite soft. I could reduce it for littlest and let the older ones continue or let her ride her bike instead (though we usually have a good bike ride in the afternoon too!)
Fwiw, the 10 year old usually does 9 hours of gymnastics a week and the youngest does 4-6 hours (they've stopped for the holidays and as the gym is being renovated.) They see a sports physician every September for check ups so I could always call him for his opinion on the running...

And, disclaimer, I don't actually run myself but sort of speed walk as I have a heart condition! They have to jog on the spot if they get too far ahead!

Off to read the link...

Yanbu if they enjoy it, however yabu if they don't like doing it as it is a long distance jog first thing in the morning

YANBU Great idea, I bet it is great fun. you're setting a wonderful example. :)

Our two can walk miles every day and they are only 4. I don't see the problem with a 2 mile jog if they have good trainers too.

They have decent trainers, have plenty of sips of water, do warm-ups and stretches.
I might alternate the jogging with cycling from now on. I won't force them but strongly encourage

That sounds sensible

Also though if you are power walking and only out for 20 mins that won't be 2 miles

I haven't timed it to be honest but it didn't feel much longer than that! Will have DS set the timer on his ipod.
It absolutely chucked it down this evening so it's going to be too muddy in the morning anyway :( Will drag them out for a puddle jumping walk instead!

My local parkrun on a saturday morning is 5k (3.2miles) and is done regularly by many young kids. the youngest I know of is just 6. if they love it then let them do it. My 3yr old is desparate to come running with me and mummy though we are 10k + runners so she may be a while before she can do that distance.
Keep it up.

Sounds fun!

If you have a smart phone, you could download map my run which will map out your route and time it. Our two love seeing where they've been when I upload it.

balloteli - one of the local running clubs organises our Parkrun and I asked their coaches about my soon to be 6 yr old doing it and they strongly advised me not to let him. He is desperate to do it but the advice is that it is too long to do especially if they want to do it regularly. It is not that they physically can't. Because they certainly can. But it is not advisable due to the issues mentioned further up thread. However it is a decision that each parent must make. Having been given that advice by qualified coaches, I am deciding not to let my son do distances over a mile continuously until he is much older. I am not talking about walking several miles over the course of a day or even running around and covering that distance in a day. It is the act of one single long run for a child of that age which presents the risk of overuse injuries occurring. That is a risk I don't want to take.

I think it's fab! I'm planning to run next to my cycling DS over the hols. Hopefully we might cover 6 miles together each trip.

warning, my daughter ran too much