While running a local 10K a few months ago, I was feeling good, feeling fast, and was actually having a great run. I didn’t see too many people in front of me, and as best as I could tell was winning my male age group, which I eventually did. Now, I’m not telling this story to brag. I’m telling this because one of the people in front of me, and kicking my trash, was a woman pushing her kid in a stroller! I couldn’t have caught her on my best day, and I was so inspired.
To stay in shape and keep up your fitness level, some times a multitask is in order. If your spouse will be getting home late, or you‘ve got an event to attend, etc.… you may have to strap your child/children in to a jogging stroller and bring ‘em along.Stick to paths.
While running in the street or on the sidewalk, you have ability to dodge cracks, obstacles, cars and people on the roads. But when you add a stroller to the mix (with a child) the ability to react and make instinctive actions becomes delayed due to the nature of the weight of the stroller and how cumbersome they can be. There are some great jogging strollers out there, but none that let you quickly hop up on a curb should a driver not be paying attention. A path that is closed to traffic is much more predictable and allows you to keep your pace and safety in check.
Make sure your baby is old enough.
It's not safe to run with a child under six months in a jogging stroller, unless your stroller has a car seat adapter. Using the jogging stroller with the car seat means that the baby's head and neck will be stable and he won't get bounced around too much.
Run slower.
It may go without saying, but don’t try to stick to your normal pace while pushing 30-40 extra pounds. The best way to get in your workout is to track your Heart Rate while pushing your stroller and stick to your HR zones. Your body will receive the same about of cardio effort that will eventually lead to faster times on race day….sans stroller.
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