This Runner's Trials

11Feb/1226

Adventures with the jogging stroller

Posted by runnerstrials

Now that Wyatt has been sleeping better for 2 weeks (!), I hoped to get into a regular morning workout routine.

But his schedule is still pretty unpredictable. He wakes up somewhere between 6- 8am, which makes it tough to run first thing in the morning. I could pump and have Jeff feed him, but I'm honestly just too lazy. Since I'm a germophobe and it's flu season, I'm not ready to leave Wyatt in the gym childcare. So, I've started running with our jogging stroller, the BOB Revolution SE.

I'll admit, I never thought I'd be one of those moms who enjoyed running with the stroller. Running has always been my "me" time, and I assumed running with the baby would take away from that. Selfish, but true. I didn't even want a jogging stroller at first. Jeff wanted one so I thought why not? Isn't running with a stroller what all the hardcore running moms are supposed to do?

Here's what I've learned from using the jogging stroller so far (it's only been 3, short runs):

Running while pushing a heavy object is tough. Who would have thought, right? My hamstrings burned within the first minute. At 0.25mi in, I thought I had already run 1 mile. I had to stop running when I was a half mile away from my house because my biceps, inner thighs, and lungs literally could not handle another step of running. I was sore for the first time from running in I have no idea how long.
Running without using my arms is weird. Whenever I get fatigued during a run, my high school track coach's voice pops into my head telling me to use my arms. I never realized how helpful those arms were until I couldn't move them while running. Whew.
Running with a stroller is humbling. I'm one of those runners who sprints up hills because I want the hills to be over with more quickly. But with the stroller, I have to walk uphill. I see this as a new challenge: the day I can run up all the hills in my neighborhood with the stroller will be so rewarding. It also redefines what a good workout is to me. My 2.25mi at 9:02 pace with the stroller was way more challenging than the 5mi I ran without the stroller at an 8:13 pace.
Running with Wyatt is fun. Even though I love my solo runs, I can't help but miss Wyatt and wonder what he's doing whenever I'm away from him. I really enjoyed running with him while pregnant, and I'm enjoying running with him outside of utero even more. As soon as I run, he passes out. When I stop to walk, his eyes pop open. Way to keep mom motivated, baby.

The verdict? I like running with the stroller way more than I thought I would. It's a great workout and I enjoy spending time with my little coach. On that note, I'm off to run!

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6Feb/1217

When you were 10 weeks old…

Posted by runnerstrials

Dear Wyatt,

When you were 10 weeks old…

Your team won the Superbowl. And it was totally because of you. For the Giants' last 6 games, you wore these adorable Giants pajamas. The Giants and the pajamas were undefeated in those games. You better believe I'm saving them. It's just a shame you won't fit in them next year.

You appeared on giants.com. I didn't expect this to happen for 22 more years. You know… when you're playing for them. I mean, we did choose your name based on what sounded like a cool football player name. Seriously.

We went on our first run together. Well, our first run where you were outside my womb. Running with the jogging stroller is really hard, baby. Now I know why so many new moms get faster post-pregnancy. I'm not sure how often we'll run together because mommy felt awkward running without using her arms. Plus, you looked pretty bored to me.

Mommy made a big decision. Since a few months before you were born, I've been trying to find a job. I've spent way too much time job hunting and stressing about finances. This is precious time that I should be spending with you. Daddy and I figured out that I can stay home with you for about a year. I'm still going to look for work, but I'll also be content keeping the title "stay at home mom" for awhile.

You loved bath time. Not because of the actual bath, though. You find the water soothing, but cry when your head gets wet. Yet once we start drying you, you coo and squeal. Wrapping that warm towel around your wet little body thrills you to no end.

You decided it would be fun to scream your head off every evening. For hours. I don't know what you hate about 6- 11 pm (primetime TV, perhaps?), but you have been wailing during that time each night. It's amazing that someone so small can make so much noise. Daddy and I take turns passing you back and forth, and we try to do anything in hopes of comforting you. Nothing works, and you only stop once you wear yourself out. But the good news is that…

You're still sleeping well. You stay down for about 6 straight hours most nights before waking to eat. You must be comfy on your belly! All the stomach sleeping is making you much stronger, too.

I can't believe how quickly you're growing up! Time really is flying. Make it stop!

Love Mommy <3

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1Feb/129

In good times and in bad

Posted by runnerstrials

I fell in love with running during my last year of college. Three to four times each week, I would run the same 7 mile stretch. I didn't know what negative split meant, what a tempo run was, and I had no clue what my pace was (did Garmins even exist in 2004?). All I knew was that each of these runs was enjoyable, and each took about an hour to complete.

This past weekend, I was back in my college town and ready to tackle my long run of the week: 7 miles.

(source)

I was so excited about this run. I planned to run my favorite 7 mile out-and-back and I knew it was going to go well. I had been actually sleeping the past few nights, the weather was beautiful for January, and I had felt strong on all my runs in the past week.

Well you can guess what happened… the run sucked. I felt dehydrated not even 2 miles in (thank you, breast-feeding), my legs were heavy, and I had a head wind on the way back. I still finished the run in a respectable time- probably a similar time to when I regularly ran that route back in 2004. But your time really means nothing when you feel so awful.

I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself post-baby to make every run "count". I'm only running about 3 days a week so I don't have any wiggle room for bad runs. But unfortunately, less than stellar runs come with the territory of being a runner. It doesn't matter if you run one or seven days a week, if you're returning from an injury or if you're in the best shape of your life, some runs are going to suck. Many times for no obvious reason at all.

Luckily, the opposite holds true, too. The next time I set out to run, I had low expectations. The weather wasn't nice, I was tired, blah blah blah. But every step of my 5 miler felt amazing… for no clear reason.