Poling Family
The Poling Family after a run over the San Francisco Bay Bridge
Live by example, especially when it comes to leading an active lifestyle. For one Marco Island couple, Bob and Patty Poling, that example is running. Both love running and it has become a significant part of their children’s lives because of it.
They are a running family.
Running is something Patty did long before she married Bob some 19 years ago. She started running around age 10 and took part in competitions in high school and as an undergraduate. Together, the two physicians, with practices on Marco Island, would take long runs during their residency; it became a ritual, something akin to a date, Patty recalled. Nowadays, the family – including Rosie, 17; Mickey, 15; Ellie, 13; and Maggie, 9 – regularly takes part in local 5K races and are all members of Gulf Coast Runners.
But becoming a running family didn’t happen overnight. When the kids were young and still riding in a stroller, Patty and Bob would take off for a run pushing them, and once the kids could ride a bike, they followed their parents. Then Rosie hit sixth grade and joined the Marco Island Charter Middle School cross country team. That’s when things took off. Rosie was a natural runner, and suddenly, one by one, the kids wanted to race a 5K. “It was always a choice. We never forced them to run… It was our normal,” said Patty, of racing as a family. “It’s a great experience to run a 5K with your kids.”
Running is an easy way to meet the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day, as prescribed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It also fits into two categories of exercise: aerobic and bone-strengthening. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggests kids participate in vigorous-intensity physical activity and bone-strengthening activity at least three days a week. A report published in August 2009 states that caregivers play a vital role in achieving that recommendation. It is the main way youth learn the importance of physical activity and are taught to balance non-active time periods like watching television with being physically active.
“It is never too early for a family to make changes that will help a child keep or achieve a healthy weight,” said Sandra Hassink, MD, president of AAP and co-author of the clinical report, “The Role of the Pediatrician in Primary Prevention of Obesity.” She offered practical steps for families, such as modeling positive physical activity. Another tip from HHS was to tailor the activity to a child’s developmental stage. Younger children like to alternate between short bursts of activity and rest, like sprinting. Adolescents can run longer and farther.
That fits into the Poling approach. Nine-year-old Maggie doesn’t run the same distance as her 17-year-old sister, Rosie. Maggie clocks about three miles with Mom and Dad on a run. Ellie will hit between four and five miles, and the two high schoolers, Rosie and Mickey, will average about eight miles. Patty and Bob like three- to five-mile runs, and sometimes on the weekend they will go farther. “Some days we are really into (running) and slack off on others,” said Patty. But the family finds encouragement among themselves. “We get started and convince each other to go longer.”
In Southwest Florida, running can be a 365-day-a-year sport. Between the sunshine and flat terrain, it is a runner’s paradise. Even dedicated athletes opt for running in Naples. The Naples Daily News Half Marathon, held every January (this year, on Saturday, January 17), is a favorite race among runners because of the flat, fast course. It was voted the No. 1 half marathon in 2015. But that’s one race you won’t see families with young children racing; no one under 13 can register. It’s just too long of a race for younger kids, said Gulf Coast Runners (GCR) President Mitch Norgart.
Instead, Norgart suggested kids join the GCR Youth Team, where 6- to 14-year-olds learn the fundamentals of running. “There is such a sense of accomplishment gained from running,” said Norgart. “It’s a great way to get a kid to focus. There are not as many outlets for physical activity nowadays.”
GCR has about 1,200 members and approximately one-third are family memberships. Once a month from April to October, the group hosts free family runs at a county park. There is a two- or three-mile run and immediately afterward participants meet up for pizza and drinks. It is chance for families to socialize with other active, healthy families, said Norgart. Patty agrees, and often encourages her children to bring friend along for a run. “Make it social and it’s more fun.”
Maybe your daughter isn’t a natural athlete: Try Girls on the Run (GOTR), a national organization that helps girls from third to eighth grade complete a 5K after 10 weeks. Christine McConnelee, executive director for the Collier County program, believes GOTR is an effective way to teach girls how to be active and healthy. “It’s a place to set goals and achieve them,” she said of the program. “It’s a time when they can develop a love for running.
“I don’t even consider myself a runner,” continued Christine, who runs regularly with her husband Scott and two children Olivia, 9, and Liam, 6. Their kids are just getting into running and suggests that parents get active with their children from a young age. “Get out and do it together.” But don’t expect too much at first. Instead set small realistic goals, one for the day and another for the week. “Strike a balance with kids. It’s not about a competition, but about doing your individual best,” she said.
Sometimes that individual best isn’t the best you’ve done previously, or the best in the family. Patty has watched her two older children, Rosie and Mickey, get faster and faster and go farther and farther. Both are state-level competitors in cross country for Lely High School. “The hardest part is seeing the kids get faster than the parents. They’re getting faster and I’m getting slower,” Patty said laughing. “We call it ‘personal records,’ an accomplishment for you.”
For families just starting out, try taking a walk after dinner or doing housework or yard work together. Simply by being active whenever possible, families may see a reduction in anxiety and depression and promote a positive mental health. Doing so will reduce the chances of being obese and lower risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Local Programs for Families and Kids
Girls on the Run of Collier County
GOTR coach and girl
Girls on the Run is a 10-week program for girls in grades 3-8 in Collier County. Its mission is to enhance the emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and mental aspects of young girls, and help them build confidence and to recognize their inner strength. The program is offered twice a year, in the spring and fall, and cumulates with a 5K non-competitive fun run. There is also a community service project incorporated in the program. Fourteen site schools are set up for the spring session. Registration runs January 9-25, and the session begins Jan. 30. If your school is not a site school, contact Girls on the Run to establish one. Visit gotrcc.org.
Gulf Coast Runners Youth Team
Kids learn fundamentals when they take part in the Gulf Coast Runners Youth Team. Led by USATF-certified coaches, kids from age 6 to 14 train three times a week year-round and learn skills like efficient use of their arms and legs and how to hold their head properly when running cross country, plus track and field basics like how to use starting blocks, pass a baton for relay participation, and proper form for the long jump. Having fun is another important aspect emphasized by the coaches. Kids of all levels can take part and are shown ways to enhance their natural running form. Children under 10 train for shorter distances and for sprinting, and older kids can compete in meets at the local and state level. Visit gcryouthteam.org.
Naples Area Junior Triathletes
Every summer, the Naples Area Triathletes (NAT) hosts a junior triathlon for kids age 5 to 13. The non-competitive event introduces kids to the sport and is a great way for kids to gain experience with the basics of the race. They learn how to transition, what they need for each segment, and how the race staging area is organized at separate clinics held before the race. NAT is developing a junior program for younger triathletes. Currently, the group has some younger members who train together with a NAT coach. Visit naplestriathletes.com.