running with the jogging stroller ?'s

nikinikinine

first off, holy hell that's a workout. 

I'm up to 4 miles with the kiddos in tow, and I have two questions for stroller runners -

1.) how far are your kids able to go with you and how old are they? Right now 40 minutes is a good balance for us, even if they nod off it's not for too long and they mostly stay awake for the ride. But I'd love to keep upping my mileage as I get back in shape and I like having them along for the ride (literally).

2.) did you find that the more you run with the stroller the faster you were able to get? Or did you have to train sans kids to get your speed up too? My splits with the stroller kind of suck. I'm running 9:30's. Granted I haven't really run since I was in the first trimester and I'm pushing 80+ pounds. But I want to keep getting faster with them so I feel like my legs are working as hard as my arms  

dleigh81

Super congrats to going 4 miles and you have great pace for stoller pushing! I've always been a slow runner but to make you feel better I can barely run a 9:30 without pushing them in the jogger.

Anyway, to answer your questions... my kids are almost 15 months and the longest I've gone is 4 miles but I'm at a 12 mile pace with the stroller. How long they last depends on the day. Obviously if it's hot out they don't last long or we just don't go. I always pack something for them to drink and snack on. But honestly, they just enjoy the ride. They like to hum whenever we hit a bump or go on the sidewalks.

When I go running without them I am back to my regular, faster pace. I haven't technically "trained" for a race yet so I can't comment on training any differently without them. I'm thinking though you probably won't have to. Maybe your long or fast runs could be without them.

GL! Are you training for anything in particular? I wanted to do another half this fall but I'm not going to be ready and don't have the time once school starts. I'm thinking next fall of doing another full but we'll see...

nikinikinine

Holy! I've never run a full, but I'm in awe of people that do. I'm training for a 10k right now that I plan to run with the kids. I figure if I can keep it under an hour they'll make it. The husband and I are running a few family 5k's in our community and then I'd like to squeeze in a half this year. The problem is I didn't think I'd be ready for the early fall halfs, so I waited to register and now I'm closed out of the ones that are closest to us I think I could be ready for one by early November though...I think. Ah

kafunder

First, I think a 9:30 pace with the stroller is terrific, especially after so much time off. I dont' run that fast even without the stroller.

Second, they seemed to do okay up to about 6 miles/1 hour when they were about 8 months. After that, we just got tired of pushing them for much longer and the running wasn't as much fun. It also started to get too hot here in DC to take them out for longer than that. I love to run (DH and I are training for 9th marathon in October) but going long distances with the stroller just wasn't as much fun as doing it alone b/c after about an hour, the babies needed more tending to than was worth it. They started to get fidgety or fall asleep or need something to eat and we would end up stopping a lot.

We found we got a bit faster with the stroller as we did it more often but not significantly. However, getting faster has never been my goal. I'm more of a distance girl.

That's so great you've signed up for some races this fall. I wish I had done that but most of the big races here are closed out by now.

Haven1

That's fantastic!  And yes, it's a total workout to run with the stroller.  Gumi said you eventually get in better "stroller shape" and it becomes easier, but I think she's a liar, liar, pants on fire. It still kicks my asss.  

1.) We go about 6 miles a night these days.  That's about the time we have to get home for dinner.  They've never fussed or wanted out, so I guess they'd stay in it as long as I wanted.  They usually nap in the evening, since they hate napping at daycare, and that's a godsend.  (Although, I'm not sure a 3rd nap at almost 14 months is the greatest idea.  We should probably be moving toward less naps instead of more.) 

2. See comment above about Gumi and getting faster.  LIES!  J/k.  I tend to think of our stroller runs as building strength and my solo runs as building speed.  My pace is at least a minute slower in the stroller.  Mostly because our route is hilly, and those kill me.  All in all, I don't worry too much about pace with them.  No good will come of that.

Finally, the one thing Gumi said that stuck with me was to make sure to relax your arms.  I tend to death grip the handle, and I notice a huge difference if I chill out.

mrs.cam

Whew! You ladies are impressive! I run every other day w/o the stroller, but yesterday i took the kids and and it was so hard! I live on a hill so going down, no prob...going up pushing 80lbs? I almost died.