August 28, 2011Don’t get me wrong, despite this below experience, I love my jogging stroller, I really do. It is a BabyTrend travel system that is durable and easy to maneuver. I have been waiting in anticipation for my youngest to be old enough to take it for a test run. With multiple children now, it is even harder to sneak away for a solo run, or well anything for that matter, so I thought why not incorporate a child in the mix and make things easier? While previously out on walks, I had watched several mothers breeze by me with jogging strollers making it look like an effortless process. So today, determined to squeeze in a work out and with no extra time to spare, I deemed my chunky 5 month-old ready for the challenge.
Well, hats off to those other mothers I witnessed because it was not in any way, shape or form effortless. Pushing a stroller with roughly 20 lbs in it is just plain awkward at first, particularly when you are used to having your arms free to pump back and forth. I felt unintentionally like Phoebe on “Friends” running in Central Park with her legs flailing about – not exactly the picture of grace. I pushed and panted through two miles trying to not make too big of a spectacle of myself, but inevitably ended up a sweaty, breathless mess. At least I provided some amusement to a few others on the trail. I am guessing that jogging with a stroller is probably a learned art that will require more practice. A+ for effort I suppose.
