5 Tips to Training for a 5k With Kids

I could write a lot more here, but let’s just say college= bagel bites and milkshakes. So that’s when I decided I should probably start exercising, and running was freeeeee! (Because in college, who has money for a gym membership?!)

1. Take your toddler to a park without a fence. This will give you plenty of running! (If you read my 7 tips for surviving with 2 kids, you may realize that I have very strong feelings about parks that are not fenced in.)
2. Ask your toddler to “come here, please.” This will send him running in the opposite direction, which will send you sprinting after him. You will definitely get your sprints in.
3. Tell your toddler it’s time for bed. He will automatically start running around the house, and he will be surprisingly good at evading you.

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5 Tips for Training for a 5k with Kiddos

1. Eat! As moms, we are queens of “did we even eat lunch?” And if we did it was probably a leftover chicken nugget or some cold leftovers from the night before. If you’re training for a race (or heck, just exercising at all!), it’s so important to fuel your body! ESPECIALLY if you’re still nursing! Between nursing and exercising, you’re depleting your body of a lot, and it’s important to replace it! Lots of protein, mamas. Eat a full meal.
2.  Drink water. Again, you’re depleting your body. Stay hydrated always. And also again, ESPECIALLY if you’re still nursing. When you nurse you need a lot of water, and when you exercise you need a lot of water. So if you’re doing both? You need a lot a lot of water.
3. Just get out and run! I know this one probably seems unnecessary, but I think we can all agree it’s hard to find time during the day when you are home alone with littles. (Here is where a normal person might suggest a jogging stroller. Y’all, I am selfish. Running is MY time. It’s my stress relief and often the only 30 minutes I have to myself during the day. I don’t want to share that. Also, my neighborhood has a lot of hills and those things are heavy with 2 kiddos inside.) Go in the evening when daddy gets home from work, or the morning, if you’re able to, and definitely take advantage of weekends! Mom’s don’t have a lot of spare time just hanging around, so you have utilize the limited time you can find.
4. Cross train! With the above point said, sometimes you just can’t get out. My husband works late nights quite a bit, and I’m not waking up at 5:30 in the morning after being up with my daughter. On these occasions, cross train! This looks different for everyone; for me, it’s Jillian Michaels’ DVDs. 20 minutes and she kills me. She does enough cardio and strength, though, that even if it’s been a few days since I’ve run, I can start up right where I left off. I also am really trying to get into yoga for stretching, but I haven’t been able to find a good YouTube (read: FREE) series I like yet. (Any suggestions, hit me up!)
5. Sign up! For me, I have to sign up for a race to get me motivated. I’ll still run, but if I want to get back to 3 miles, I need to sign up for a 5k or I’ll stay stagnant at 2. It’s just how I work. Once I pay, I’m much more motivated to actually train for a race. (I should also be upfront that my first and foremost qualification for a race is if they give me a medal.) So go through races in your area, find one you’re excited about, and just register! You’ll be excited for a few days, and then you probably won’t be anymore when you’re in the middle of a long run, but you paid! So you have to! No take backs!

What’s your stress relief, and how do you find time for it? Sound off in the comments below!