Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Running With Little Ones
How do you do it??
Feeling the growl again
Care to clarify where the issue is? Time? Maintaining oversight?
It's a combination of getting out early before they are up....running at lunch at work...carefully coordinating with the spouse so we both get our workouts in. Tried the jogging stroller thing but wasn't really helpful.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
What do you mean? Is it a question of time management (where do you fit in when you've got 3 kids under 5)? Or is it more an issue of coaching your little ones in the local "tot trot?" And how many little ones are we talking about? Single parent? I think the ages of the kids is probably important as well.
LOL! Yeah, perhaps a little clarification is needed. I have 1 yr old twin boys. Spaniel, I second the notion that the jogging stroller is no good---tried it and my boys don't seem to have enough room and they really just don't like the way it moves when I'm running I guess. Plus, mine is not exactly the cadillac of jogging strollers and they are big boys! But I digress... My husband and I have opposite schedules but he is on the night end so when I'm home he needs to sleep so me going out for a run solo doesn't work so well. Can one run pulling a radio flyer? They love the wagon because it has more room but I'm not sure how that would help my running form...haha... Maybe I just need to wait another couple of years until they can jog with me. I haven't run since I found out I was expecting anyhow (but for my feeble attempts with the jogging stroller) so I guess a few more years wouldn't kill me...
wow, 1 year old twins and two jobs between you - ok, it's a challenge, but I think we can figure something out! Do you work weekends? If not, bam, there's two days of running right there. During the week are you and husband ever home and awake at the same time? If so, can you squeeze in a run then?
I have a little guy (he'll be three in October) and work 20 hours with a one hour train commute each way. On work days I have time for 30-50 min after work and before I have to get on the train and go pick up my son from daycare, so that is what I do. I'm not crazy about the fact that I then am kinda stinky until I can get home for a shower- I clean up with wipes but when it's 90 and humid out they don't help much...anyway, my only alternative would be to get up at or before 5 and run before work, but I haven't tried that yet. A lot of people here do it that way, though.
the stroller - yeah, around a year is when my son stopped being a fan of that. I managed to use the stroller until he was 18 months by timing my runs for his nap time, so he slept while I jogged. At some point though, he wasn't having it any more and insisted on getting out and jogging himself
anyway. Tl;dr ... I think you can do this if you really want to. It helps to have spousal buy-in. My husband runs, and he knows what I'm like when I don't get to run, so I am lucky that way.
How can I forget to mention that I'm on my third treadmill in 7 years...we put >2000mi/yr on it. If you have the space, it's really the way to go. We have a TV in front of ours so passing the time is not so bad.
agree, if you aren't willing to get up super early in the morning while the kiddos are still sleeping, and if it just won't work with fitting it in during the day or between jobs, then getting a treadmilll is the way to go. you can get a cheap one off of Craiglist or whatever online service is in your area, the good thing about treadmills is that there are literally thousands of people buying them and then not using them. i bought my very nice top of the line Nordictrack from a smoker who had planned to get in shape, i checked the odometer on it and they had logged 50 miles!!! i have since put in over a thousand on it and it is still going strong!
Your work schedules are likely to be the biggest challenge so I think a treadmill at home is a great idea. I hate the treadmill and my wife and I both have busy schedules; we have three who are 5, 3, and 6months old so here are the work-arounds I've managed or considered:
- I can usually squeeze in 30-60 minutes at work if I'm really efficient (getting in a run is a motivator) so I'll do that during lunch or rarely at the end of the workday.
- First thing in the morning is unattractive but I've managed to make it work and once I get into a habit of it, it becomes less painful. This might not be workable if your spouse is away when you first wake up.
- Consider the YMCA or a family-friendly gym that has a child-watch service for little ones
- Grandparents who can't get enough of their grandkids are awesome; but be careful about going to the well too often on that one
- The kind of stroller you get could potentially make a difference. I own a single-BOB and have been considering a double-BOB. You really do get what you pay for in jogging strollers and I love the BOB. My kids love it, but didn't seem to enjoy it until they were around 15-18 months. Obviously, you should go somewhere you can test-drive one because they are pricey. Mine have a Radio-Flyer wagon too - dragging that thing is torture.
- Taking turns with your spouse may be good but if you two rarely see each other as-is with your work schedules that may be a problem. Mine hates to run so I try to make my workouts in such a way that it does not interfere with our time together.
- Weekends may be most ideal and then you can cross train throughout the week - especially since you are getting your groove back.
- If the treadmill is overly monotonous to you (I'm not a fan), throw in some good cross training with some home DVDs - I'm a huge fan of DVD series for cross training like P90X3, Pump, etc
- Also, if your spouse' work schedule affords him little time with the children then arranging special time for daddy and the little dudes allows some free time for you - I will corral my gremlins to the park on Saturday mornings so my wife can get in her workouts as well.
Hope this helps!
Labrat
With an almost 3 year old my runs are
1) early morning before the family is awake (normally on a TM but could do outside)
2) Lunchtime at work (I have access to a shower), or immediately afterwork but before I go to daycare (well I guess truly a preschool now). I tend to ride afterwork more than run, but will squeeze whatever I can into that slot.
3) Weekend when DW is around.
She will still go in the jogging stroller (a BOB!), and we do some races with that.
When she was ~1 we used the stroller a whole lot. Even running up Kennesaw Mountain sometimes after daycare. That gave me a lesson in humility, as I was feeling pretty badass one day doing my 2nd ascent keeping a decent pace, when I was passed by a mom pushing her 2 large kids in a double stroller.
Twins in a stroller is not impossible. Best thing to do is make sure its around naptime. Bit of milk, ensure they are changed, and hopefully they will sleep while you run. Obviously a smooth paved surface is needed here.
5K 20:23 (Vdot 48.7) 9/9/17
10K 44:06 (Vdot 46.3) 3/11/17
HM 1:33:48 (Vdot 48.6) 11/11/17
FM 4:13:43 (Vdot 35.4) 3/4/18
Village people
I have six kids and my DH is also a runner. I insisted that we purchase a treadmill and I timed my runs for nap times and he still had time to do his thing after work.
good luck.
You'll figure it out. Or you won't and you'll be one of those people who used to be a runner.
Runners run
Is this thread meant to be the opposite of the "well endowed" thread?
http://www.runningahead.com/forums/topic/7a2def76061c4118aba61bcfcc813af9/resume#focus
Honorary Old
I did a ton of stroller running with DS up until this past winter (age 2.5). My new neighborhood is not as stroller running friendly since the best place to run is trails otherwise I'm running cul-de-sacs. With kid #2 impending, I'm seriously considering purchasing a treadmill since DS will be almost 4 by the time the new baby comes and I hate pushing one enough that I don't see myself pushing 2. I'll probably keep my single Chariot for a while just in case, but I doubt I'll be purchasing a fancy double jogger.
2 Mile: 17: 11 5k PR: 27:45 5 Mile: 44:11 10K: 59:01 Half: 2:15:59 Marathon: 5:50:07
Let me say...if you plan on putting more than about 1000 miles/year on your treadmill, buy the best you can. I'm on my third machine in the $1000-$1500 range. The first one made about 3 years and had 8-10 repairs done...warranty expired, it broke again, and I junked it. Second one had 8-9 repairs and at 18 months they refunded my money so they wouldn't have to keep fixing it. The third one has had 3 repairs in its first year, and it is now throwing an error and probably headed for another warranty call.
Treadmills in this price range are designed mainly as coat racks. Depending on your mileage, if you are going to run a lot try to find a way to afford a better machine. When the warranty is gone on this one I'm getting a Landice.
Cool Jump Suit
My kids are 8 and 10 now, but I did the jogging stroller back in the day. It actually worked ok for me. I even had the dog on a long leash and he led the way. (I used to pretend we were running in the Iditarod) I used to take both of them (and the dog) every evening after work and first thing Saturday morning. I would check out as many of the jogging strollers as you can.....maybe you just didn't have the right one. Best of luck!!
So bittersweet,This tragedyWon't ask for absolution;This melody,Inside of me,Still searches for solution.A twist of faith,A change of heart Cures my infatuation.A broken heart, Provides the sparkFor my determination.