familyfitness

This weekend my family and I had the pleasure of participating in the Michigan Mile - a mile long road race open only to kids. Sixteen hundred kids participated in age groups ranging from 13 to 2 and 3 year olds! It is an amazing adventure and one my boys have made part of their childhood memories for three years now. We are lucky enough to have a minor league baseball team make its home in our town and the race begins and ends inside the stadium where parents, friends and family can watch the athletes (or run with them when they’re too young!). My youngest son is just four — he runs in the kids sprint — a 1/4 mile sprint around the field along with the other participants under five. This year a family friend joined us with two of her sons. She remarked that what she thought was really cool about it was that these kids — all 1600 of them! — were learning the length of a mile and most importantly that they certainly can run that far! She went on to add that so many adults are unsure if they could run a mile it is a really cool thing to have these kids test themselves and make it. And it is. What’s this mean for you? Don’t live in Michigan? While this road race was unique in that it was just for kids there are road races in virtually every community that go on through out the spring and into the fall (even the winter where the snow doesn’t fly!).  Ask by word of mouth, search the Internet, ask at your local sporting goods store and find a race that suits you.  Races these days often — if not most of the time — include a kids mile or dash of some sort and you can always walk if you’re unsure about running.  Get out there and give it a try, the energy is amazing and the kids will be so proud of themselves!

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