Doman Running Program Update (Physical Excellence Friday)

I know it's cliche.

Treadmills in January.

But whatever the matter of cultural trends may be, we are back at running this week. However, this time in the slightly-less-than-ideal location of our garage.

I know, I know. The Doman running program is ideally conducted outside. More interesting, fresh air, the works.

But lately the I have had to give up the "all or nothing" mindset and settle for "pretty good".

See, I have been working a lot lately. Eighteen hours a day, to be exact.

And when I have a house full of daycare kids, all day, every day, the idea of going out for a run is a little bit more trouble than it should be. And we just simply haven't been doing it, the majority of the time.

But we did a little rearranging in the garage this past weekend, plugged in the nine-year-old treadmill that someone gave us recently, and ran.

We are starting small. Easy. This is what it looks like right now:

l I run first (for 20 minutes) while he watches and does other exercises (aka plays around)  

l He then runs. Two minutes of walking (3 miles per hour), two minutes of running (5 miles per hour), repeat (for 20 minutes). 

l At this rate he gets about 2.7 miles in within twenty minutes.  

l I monitor him very closely. Like within arms length. Kids + treadmills can invariably spell disaster, so this is something to be careful about. As you can see he also has the emergency stop pull-string on, which shuts down the whole machine the moment anything goes wrong (and also the moment anything doesn't go wrong - it's pretty sensitive).  

l We have fun with it. He loves "working out", especially since it's something dad does. He also is pretty keen on getting to use adult equipment.

I am going to go ahead and make a 10-mile nonstop goal for the end of the year, for both Hunter and I. We will see how it goes.

"When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble." 

Proverbs 4:12

Hunter is 6 years, 9 months old 

Indoor Physical Excellence Fun

Brandon made up this game for Hunter a couple days ago. Even though it's still usually really nice out and all you need is a moderately warm jacket, we don't go outside quite as much as we do during the summer months. Plus, it's nice to just be able to stay inside sometimes.

The game? Stair running. With a little four-year-old favorable twist, that is.

The goal is to get his little army guys (actually, they're police) to the top of the two-flight stairs, one at a time, as fast as possible. Apparently, they're responding to an emergency, and you have to help.

He liked it a lot, and it's great for exercise and brain development. And loads of fun, especially when mom joins in.

"...But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem." 

2 Chronicles 10:18

Hunter is 4 years, 9 months old

Running Updates

We haven't gone running in a while.

Let's just say that sometimes, it's not always easy to stay committed. Sometimes, bundling up a preschooler to go on a run in the dead of winter is bearable. But bundling up three preschoolers in one of Indiana's seemingly coldest, longest winters (in my memory at least) is hard to motivate yourself for.

But, Hunter has been asking me to go for a run. A lot. We still haven't gotten all that much in the habit of it again but, we're getting there and I am very happy.

I'm happy, mostly that, he loves to run. Of course, all kids love to run but he went through a period of time when he really wasn't all that motivated. And me, being distracted with other things in my life, lost motivation because of his lack of motivation (I know, not the best idea but...). So seeing his enthusiasm is encouraging and we've been having fun going running again.

Hopefully we'll be able to be more consistent this summer. But even if we're not as consistent as I'd like to be, we'll still be enjoying having a lot of fun, growing the brain with an excellent cross-patterning exercise, and developing his heart, lungs, and muscles. Will keep you updated as to our progress!

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart..."

Psalm 27:14

Hunter is 4 years, 3 months old

Popcorn Festival

Today was the big day we've been looking forward to: the Popcorn Festival! (yes, I know: only in Indiana...)

Hunter participated in the lil Kernel Puff race this morning, which he had been looking forward to for weeks. I was wondering if he would be brave enough this year to do it by himself (last year, at age two, he was really excited, ran half way down the track and then got embarrassed and ran back towards the starting line). He was all excited about it, but got somewhat shy once he took off and was helped along by one of the workers. But he was very proud of himself once he got to the end, and admired his ribbon a lot.


But Hunter did good, and was proud of himself. And he loved watching the parade - they actually gave out a bunch of candy this year! (which, of course, was probably his favorite part)

Hunter had a good day, and was very tired at the end. Less than a minute (literally) after he sat down in Anthony's stroller he had fallen sound asleep. Fun memories, and a great day to always remember.

"I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end."

Psalm 119:32-33

Hunter is 3 years, 5 months old

Running Again

Yesterday we started our running program again. It was over 20 degrees (barely) and not too windy, so the criteria was met in order for us to be able to go for a run.

We've been running at the track a block down the street since September. Well, not really. We started in September, but have only gone a half dozen times since then, and not at all yet this year. But we're starting again. Finally.

I got the idea from a book by Glenn Doman, all about physical excellence in little kids.

The idea is that, little kids think running is a means of transportation, and we adults spend most of our time chasing them down trying to convince them it isn't so. But rather why not encourage and facilitate it so that their natural drive to run can be turned into something fun, healthy, and in general a lifelong benefit to them by giving them the opportunity to develop this ability?

So we've been going for our runs. Of course, that would be HIS running, which at this point translates into a brisk walk for me. And right now we walk half the time. But the track is 3/4 mile, and our goal is to be able to jog straight through around the whole thing by the end of April. We'll see. I just follow his lead, and encourage him, and goof around with him, and have an awful lot of fun in the meantime. Maybe we'll be doing the whole thing by the end of April, maybe we won't. Right now we're just having a lot of fun and racing between trees or benches, then walking, then racing again.

And he loves it, and is getting exercise, and developing a lifelong love of physical activity. And what better way could we invest our time in than that?

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

Proverbs 18:10

Hunter is 2 years, 10 months old