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Abstract

ld spread your distance over as many days as you please. You could report your results weeks after the official “race day”, or not. All on the honor system.I interpreted these rules loosely, in the spirit of the looseness with which they were given, and told the kids they could have a shirt as long as they got out there every day and walked, ran, or biked.They wanted to see the shirts before committing. Once they had picked out their colors and sizes, they were hooked.Seriously, on some days this is the only thing that gets them moving. Laugh if you want, tell me this is not a “real” ultra. You’re right. It’s not. But, I don’t care. My kids are exercising.And for that, I will be eternally grateful to the race organizers and their talented team of t-shirt designers.Race day was “officially” on Saturday. The shirts came in the mail the week before, and they are as fabulous as promised. We now wear them proudly.How has the training gone? My son, who signed up for the 50-mile distance, tells me proudly he’s already gone 57.4 miles. My daughter long ago passed her goal of a half-marathon and is still out there walking every day.And, that’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s a t-shirt or something else that motivates them to be active daily, what matters, in the end, is that they get out and do it.We all need to move our bodies, adults and kids alike, and with unprecedented disruptions to our daily routines, this has been a challenge.

Options

For kids especially, I think. They are likely to have relied on sports teams, PE classes, and games of tag in the yard with neighboring kids to get their exercise. None of those are options now.Going for a neighborhood walk or run might not be something that interests them, because running in a straight line for the sake of exercise is a weird adult thing to do.But, it’s time for all of us to shift how we think and try new ways of doing things. This time of challenge in our world is also an opportunity to establish positive habits that can stay with us for a lifetime.As for my kids, they exercise daily now without any reminders. My daughter just left to go for her afternoon walk, one she takes every day on her own initiative. As she walked out the door, I felt a surge of happiness that this is now part of her daily routine.Sometimes she walks alone, sometimes one of us joins her. Often my son sees her leave and wants to go too. This afternoon, as soon as he realized she had left, he quickly put on his shoes so he could catch up with her. A little later they both came bursting in through the door, shouting and laughing, red-faced and winded. A casual afternoon stroll had turned into a good-natured race between them.So, here’s to the simple things. A cool t-shirt to get us moving. A walk in solitude. Or, a sibling to run an impromptu race with. The simple joy of being outside in the sunshine and fresh air. A pair of comfortable running shoes.</article></body>

Have You Ever Run a Race Just for the Shirt?

How we got our kids moving during lockdown

Photo by the author. My son’s race shirt.

Sometimes we run a race because it gives us extra motivation and focus to be training for an event. Or, because we love the thrill of adrenaline on race day. We might run it because a friend talked us into it. Or, even for the free food.

Sometimes though, it’s all about the shirt.

When we went into lockdown mid-March, I watched with dismay as my formerly active kids became, by necessity of remote schooling, total couch potatoes. Slumped in a bean bag, couch, or bed. Staring at a screen. All day long.

Desperate to get them moving again, I invited them on walks or to join me for a run. “Nah”, they’d say, “the virus is out there.”

Then, on May 1st I got an email about a backyard quarantine ultra event. I’ve never run an ultra. I had read stories about people running quarantine ultras on a treadmill, or in tight loops around their backyards. Craziness, I had thought.

But, this race offered distances from the half-marathon to the 100K, promised entertainment, something to train for during lockdown, and a splendid shirt design.

Also, the rules were super flexible. You could run or walk. You didn’t even have to do it all in one day. You could spread your distance over as many days as you please. You could report your results weeks after the official “race day”, or not. All on the honor system.

I interpreted these rules loosely, in the spirit of the looseness with which they were given, and told the kids they could have a shirt as long as they got out there every day and walked, ran, or biked.

They wanted to see the shirts before committing. Once they had picked out their colors and sizes, they were hooked.

Seriously, on some days this is the only thing that gets them moving. Laugh if you want, tell me this is not a “real” ultra. You’re right. It’s not. But, I don’t care. My kids are exercising.

And for that, I will be eternally grateful to the race organizers and their talented team of t-shirt designers.

Race day was “officially” on Saturday. The shirts came in the mail the week before, and they are as fabulous as promised. We now wear them proudly.

How has the training gone? My son, who signed up for the 50-mile distance, tells me proudly he’s already gone 57.4 miles. My daughter long ago passed her goal of a half-marathon and is still out there walking every day.

And, that’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s a t-shirt or something else that motivates them to be active daily, what matters, in the end, is that they get out and do it.

We all need to move our bodies, adults and kids alike, and with unprecedented disruptions to our daily routines, this has been a challenge.

For kids especially, I think. They are likely to have relied on sports teams, PE classes, and games of tag in the yard with neighboring kids to get their exercise. None of those are options now.

Going for a neighborhood walk or run might not be something that interests them, because running in a straight line for the sake of exercise is a weird adult thing to do.

But, it’s time for all of us to shift how we think and try new ways of doing things. This time of challenge in our world is also an opportunity to establish positive habits that can stay with us for a lifetime.

As for my kids, they exercise daily now without any reminders. My daughter just left to go for her afternoon walk, one she takes every day on her own initiative. As she walked out the door, I felt a surge of happiness that this is now part of her daily routine.

Sometimes she walks alone, sometimes one of us joins her. Often my son sees her leave and wants to go too. This afternoon, as soon as he realized she had left, he quickly put on his shoes so he could catch up with her. A little later they both came bursting in through the door, shouting and laughing, red-faced and winded. A casual afternoon stroll had turned into a good-natured race between them.

So, here’s to the simple things. A cool t-shirt to get us moving. A walk in solitude. Or, a sibling to run an impromptu race with. The simple joy of being outside in the sunshine and fresh air. A pair of comfortable running shoes.