Weekending + Celebrations + My Running With Kids Tips!

When I woke up Saturday morning I was VERY surprised by the snow.  I had no idea it was going to snow and I decided it wasn’t the day to do a tempo…

It also meant that my running friends were no longer going to run where they were planning to (farther away) so I could jump in with them on their run.

I did 10 miles @ 8:07 average pace on a hilly loop but the below picture is from Emilee and she did 18 miles!

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It was my highest mileage week by .03 miles since having Beck ha… 55.41 miles and 55.38 miles the week before.

A tempo might not have happened but a hill PR did… .6 miles with 287 ft of climbing.  My legs were shaking at the top!

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The views were gorgeous along the way.

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We celebrated Andrew’s bday all weekend and his first request was In-N-Out followed by Harry Potter watching.

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The girls had a tea party on Sunday morning and Brooke supplied the pancakes.

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Andrew’s bday dinner was a success.  There were also pizza bites and baked beans to go along with all of the below appetizers.  Knox would have loved the below chip selection so much… luckily we saved him a bunch too.

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Coconut cream pie with this pie crust = success.

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We had a great weekend and I’m excited about his 33rd year of life.

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I’ve had a few people ask me for my tips for running with kids so I thought today would be the perfect day to talk about this!  I am in no way an expert but I thought I would share what I have found works with my kiddos and hopefully they will continue to want to run with me over the years too and not view running as a punishment!

Flashback to my favorite pic of Brooke running:

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*HAVE A DESTINATION.  Sure we as adults might be able to log our miles day after day on simple loops or out and backs but for my kids, their favorite runs are destination runs.  We have a park within running destination along with a grocery store (grab a donut!) within running/walking distance.  We love planning a run around a destination (they love running to my sister’s house because then they can brag to their cousins that they ran there) and that gets them very excited.

*STOP as much as they want to.  Brooke loves to stop to jump through some sprinklers or to stare at the roly poly on the sidewalk.  Stop to dance, to jump over a big rock or to sit on the sidewalk to catch their breath.  I love making them feel like we have nothing else on the planet to do so they can take whatever time they want to for stops.

*LET THEM DECIDE.  Let them choose the pace, the distance, when to turn around… as much as I love control, I love handing all of the control over to them.

*Turn on some of their favorite SONGS.  If they aren’t in the mood to chat then I’ll get the tunes going!

*Let them wear your GPS watch… my kids love using mine!

*Make sure they are COMFORTABLE.  Make sure they are wearing good socks, shoes, running clothes and that their hair is out of their face (at least that one is very important for Brooke to feel comfortable while running).  Being uncomfortable during a run is the worst and if they feel good and confident during the run they will enjoy it a whole lot more.

*Our school puts on a “Marathon in a Month” program and the kids LIVE FOR THAT.  They get a prize at the end of the 26.2 miles and they mark their progress along the way on a chart.  The chart has a little block for each mile on a pathway… it includes 26 blocks and they color them in along the way.

*Our school also has a cross-country program for them (and I get to coach next year once after school activities are happening again) and the students earn beads each time they come and finish their laps for the day.  Those beads are a huge motivation for them.

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*Temperatures matter!   Brooke is not a fan of running in the heat or the cold so we don’t do either.  When it feels good out to her then she is much more likely to want to go for a run so that is when we run.  I’m sure as she gets older these things won’t bother her as much as they do now but I want it to be a fun experience for her… not one where she remembers her fingers freezing or feeling sick from the heat.

*Share what running does for you with them.  Throughout the run sometimes I’ll bring up little things that running does for me and ask them what it does for them.  I love telling them about how it gives me more energy, helps me to handle my stress and brings me a lot of gratitude for what my body can do.  I love sharing funny running stories with them that I have with my friends and race experiences that I’ve had.

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Ever run with kids?  Have any tips to help them love running or did anyone help you love running when you were younger? 

Do you prefer hill work or speed work more?  Do you do both?  Do you notice more benefits from one more than the other?

Have a favorite type of chip?  On a scale from 1-10, how much do you like chips?

What was the best part of your weekend?

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38 comments

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Ah, I wish my daughter could be part of your XC team next year! She LOVES to run. We went to the track this weekend with some soccer balls and she ran laps, all on her own! We were going for runs pretty consistently when she was virtual too, she goes about a mile or so total with all the sightseeing and bug collecting stops. My only issue is that she basically does a fartlek, so I have to sprint to catch up with her and then she’ll stop right in front of me so I trip. :)
Tie between really good Mexican restaurant chips and salt and vinegar potato chips!!
I like speed workouts, but I miss hills so much. I hope the next place we move has hills.
Hope you have a great week!

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Mollie, I would love it if your daughter could be part of the team… already doing laps on her own! I love hearing about the way she runs and yep, Knox is the king of those fartleks too haha! Now I need both of those types of chips. PS when does the move happen??? Thanks Mollie, you too!

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Wow! That look on Beck’s face reminds me so much of Skye! He’s thinking of something fun to do, I just know it :)
Running with kids can be so rewarding. I volunteered when my daughter did Girls on the Run in elementary school. The rewards for each lap were a huge hit. Running with a child who was not so into it some days was also helpful–chatting, encouraging, giving a high five when they reached a goal. Even setting goals can be tremendously motivating, whether it’s the long-term (your goal race will feel easier with building up bit by bit) or short-term (let’s get to the corner and then walk for 10 seconds). My son just wanted to run fast when he did cross country–I’d have to race him, LOL!
Chips? My kryptonite! 14/10 Corn chips win for me…mmmm!!!

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Hahah those Baron genes are strong! Those rewards/goals for kids (and adults ha) just make all of the difference. You are so right about how good they are with the short-term goals too! Hahah your son sounds like he is on fire already. I hope you have Corn chips asap. Thanks Corey!

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Ahh I love this. Thanks so much! Will definitely try implementing these with my kids. My six year old especially loves running. Currently though he joins me on his bike when I run. But I guess at least he gets used to the idea of going for a run. Thanks for sharing Janae.

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My dad ran with us a lot when I was younger and he would let us stop or walk as much as we want. He’d also bring us to 5ks and because we were young, we’d win our age groups, which was motivating!

I prefer hill work, I feel like it makes me stronger physically and mentally.

I had a first date this weekend that went really well :) I hate dating, it feels so awkward to me, but talking to him felt natural. So we’ll see where it goes!

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First, let’s start with your first date that went so well… you HAVE to keep me updated on the next etc. I honestly felt the exact same way with Andrew… so this makes me very excited.
I really love that you ran with your dad a lot when you were younger. I need to bring my kids to some 5ks this summer too! Yep, those hills make us so strong. Happy Monday Mariah!

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That picture of Beck! It needs to be a meme.

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HAHAH YES!! I’ll start thinking of some ideas. Have the best day Lynn!

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I love your tip to let the kids stop like there’s no where you need to be and nothing you need to do. Shouldn’t we all do that on a regular basis? That really made me smile.

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AMEN! Yes and I am going to do more of that today for other things in their lives. Hope your day is off to a great start Chris!

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That’s funny, I also made a coconut cream pie yesterday! Mine didn’t look as pretty as your but it tasted good!
Best part of my weekend was a 10 mile trail run. Happy Belated Birthday to Andrew!

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Coconut cream pie is seriously just the best! And 10 mile trail run… way to go Jenny! Thanks and I hope you have a great Monday!

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Hi Janae! Andrew’s birthday looks fun and I hope you keep celebrating through the week because I believe in birthday week (and month but I can only usually get away with birthday week).
I have really exciting news to share! I got married this weekend! Our wedding was supposed to be last year but it was cancelled because of the pandemic. We really wanted to just get married so we had a really small courthouse wedding on Saturday and then we will have a reception later in the summer when it’s safer. I am so happy and really grateful for my loved ones for making this happen and I’m on my honeymoon now!
Have an awesome week!!

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AMY AHHHHHHH I AM FREAKING OUT!! I had a small guess that is what you meant on Friday but WOW! I am just so thrilled for you all and I think you made such an excellent decision. Congrats Amy, this was the best way to start my week! Enjoy every second of your honeymoon!

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Oh that picture of Beck… Just like Skye, planning/scheming to do something. Ha ha.
Looks like a great weekend celebrating Andrew.
I mostly do hill work, since we have several great ones in our neighborhood. But I think speed workouts can be fun. I know I said this before, but I can’t wait for the college track by my house, opens again. Doing some 400’s sounds really fun right now.
Best part of the weekend was picking up our new vanity and shopping for faucets and hardware for our bathroom reno. We start demo next week!! It’s been needed for a very long time, and we’re finally doing it. Yay!
Have a great start to the new week!

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Bahaha it’s so true… these Baron genes are STRONG! Hill work is so incredibly good for us! It really does make us so strong. And I am so excited for your track to open back up too… any word? PLEASE show me the before and after of your bathroom… I LOVE this kind of stuff. Thanks Wendy, you too!

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I am probably the best version of myself whenever I run with my daughter (for so many of the reasons Janae mentioned) and that is why daughter fell in love with running.

I love Andrew’s birthday spread. I think I am going to request a buffet of my favorite foods this year. That is genius.

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Oh I love that Erica. I really do think it helps us to let them see our playful side more and that is why Brooke loves it too. Yep, you need to do the spread idea, it was amazing and now we have SOOOO many leftovers. Have the best day friend!

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What a fun weekend of celebration! I am very impressed that Andrew choose pie for his birthday on Pi Day!!! (YAY Math ;)

I love running with my kids and they are just getting to the age that they are starting to like it, my daughter can’t help but run every time we go hiking, I think she is a natural trail runner. We often run with the stroller so they can jump in and out when they want to. I love the idea of a marathon a month, I think my son might just be getting old enough now to do that.

Have a wonderful Monday! We are having a snow day because the blizzard we had yesterday left so much snow that schools are closed and we can’t get out of our driveway. Luckily it’s really beautiful!

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That’s a great birthday snack spread! And that running photo of Brooke is pretty awesome.

I am not a huge chip fan, unless it’s tortilla chips, then all bets are off! I love ones from a Mexican restaurant, but I also love tostitos lightly salted, or tostitos hint of jalapeno with newman’s own pineapple salsa. ok, now I am craving them…….

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I love signing up my kids for 5ks! It’s been fun to do Halloween dress up ones or Jingle Bell runs. We’ve done color runs and my daughters first 5k was a virtual Wonder Woman run with a fun medal. My boys are older now and my teenager enjoys basketball as one of his sports but it’s fun to go on training runs with him. My other son goes on 4 mile runs for soccer and doesn’t think of it as punishment because he’s grown up with us running. I love it!

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How old were your kids when you started running with them? I love the idea of this and hope my 3yo is into it someday!!

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Hey Lydia! I started doing short runs with Brooke at 3 years old! She loved going to the track when she was 3 with me! Let me know how it goes:)

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I love this so much! I started running a mile with my mom in first grade, we ran our first 5k together when I was in second grade, and through elementary school we would get up early before school one day a week for a “special run in the dark”. I’m 24 now, but I try to make sure we go on at least one run together each year!! A few things she did that I think made me really love running: 1.) when we would do 5ks she would ask if I wanted to run or walk. If I said I wanted to run it and then partway through decided I wanted to walk she would have me pick a landmark to walk to and then we would start running again 2.) she made a big deal out of it being our special thing. None of my siblings ran while I was growing up (they do now), but she would tell me how much she loved that we had our own thing to do together and 3.) she let me run 2 miles by myself (with our dog if I called her from the halfway point) starting in 4th grade and I thought it was the coolest most adult thing ever. Ok so so thankful that she did what she did to make me love running!

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The best part of my weekend was definitely the end of our St. George trip! We loved it and didn’t want to come home :) we did a lot of climbing/hiking in Snow Canyon and that was by far my favorite spot!

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AHHHH JENNA! I am SO so happy that you loved it there so much. Snow Canyon is heaven on earth. I hope you are back again soon!

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I somehow managed to ‘reply’ to a comment rather than comment. So just going to post this here again. ?

Ahh I love this. Thanks so much! Will definitely try implementing these with my kids. My six year old especially loves running. Currently though he joins me on his bike when I run. But I guess at least he gets used to the idea of going for a run. Thanks for sharing Janae.

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Hi!!! This is my first time commenting, I think! We recently booked a trip to the Park City area in Utah. We have 3 young kids and are wondering some good locations for playgrounds or things to do around park city, Sundance, Provo area. Love following along with you!

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Hey KELLY!! Can you email me so I can get back to you easier with all of this info!!! SO EXCITED YOU ARE COMING!

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I would love to get in touch via email! Should I send a message via your ad email under “contact me”?

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That would be perfect!

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Those are THE BEST suggestions for running with kids – a big thank you! I will try them out.

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I am a teacher and have an after school running club for 4th and 5th graders in the fall and spring (pre-Covid). I enjoy helping kids find a passion for running:)

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Hills! I love hill repeats and I don’t know why :)
Probably a 4/10 for chips.
This weekend we got ROLLER BLADES and I’m beyond excited about it!!! (we also got knee, elbow, and wrist guards lol) It’s so fun and a great workout!!

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Weird question, does Andrew’s Garmin have a picture of In N Out on it? ☺️

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Oh my, that little look from Beck. He’s so grown up lately! And your Coconut Cream pie came out soooo good! I made one for my husband at Thanksgiving this year and let’s just say it tasted better than it looked, hah!

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I love your tips. Your kids are lucky. I came to running later in life. I sure would have appreciated it if my parents were the way you are with your kids.

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