The adventures of the new stroller!!

So I finally got a better running stroller.  I was super pumped and really thought I could just bust out at least 5 miles with it ...WRONG!!

So yesterday I searched for "Techniques for running with a jogging stroller", I didn't really find too many techniques but I did find a list of things to know when running with a jogging stroller.  I can tell that just from my 3 mile run this morning (only pushing for half of it because Sami is so awesome that she pushed the other half) these things are true:

1. Most runners get awesome leg workouts but hardly have time for upper body workouts.  Not the case for a stroller pushing mama, pushing a stroller is an upper body workout for sure!
2. When first running with a jogging stroller it will feel like you've never ran in your life.  You basically have to learn to run again.  Yep, so freakin true.
3. People LOVE a baby in a jogging stroller.  Makes sense, I'd love to pass a super cute baby on my run too.  I'm waiting for the "Go Mama Go!" encouragement that comes with this.

Overall, learning to run with the jogging stroller has been a difficult process.  Every time Brian asks how my run went, I respond in a disgruntled voice, "Awful!"  It's incredibly frustrating to have to stop and try to align the stroller so that it isn't working against my run. It's even more frustrating that my pace could actually be below 9 minutes a mile for 3 miles, but with the added stroller frustrations it's still a little more than 9 minutes.

I will figure this out though.  And hearing my sweet little girl sing and hum the whole run is the best sound in the world.

Some deep stuff ....& oh yeah, I ran 4 miles!

Tough Stuff
So this has been a tough week. For the first time since we've moved back, I've felt an overwhelming challenge and conviction by the gospel. Earlier this week my husband responded to a question I had by asking, "is Christ alone sufficient?" Whoa! That's tough stuff. Sadly my comfort and strength does not come from Christ alone, it comes from worldly, material things most of the time.


I find comfort in money, fitness, being a wife and a mother, providing delicious and healthy meals to my family (this comment is based on my own taste buds, not those in my family), my sweet little girl, my husband, etc. But if all of those things were stripped away, what would I be left with? And is it fair to all of those things and people that I put my comfort in them?


Nothing! And No! Those are the answers.

"Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

God wants to be my comforter, my strength, my hope, and my romancer. Sadly it takes realizing that the world will always fail to be those things for me to realize that they can only come from following Christ. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a husband who challenges me with the word of God every day.

I did it .... I ran all 3 miles!

So first an update from Day 1 of training. It killed me, but I did get on that darn treadmill. My knees and shins did not love the experience so much, so after 1/2 a mile, I had switch from running to a very fast almost run walk.

Here is the ugly proof that I did complete the 30 minutes of training for day 1, but only at a fast walking pace. Basically, I refuse to ever get back on that treadmill, period!

Yesterday was a cross training day (30-40 minutes). Ideally, I would have used the spinning bike, but my mom asked if I was up for a walk on the flood wall. She hasn't seen little A for a few weeks, so we met up and walked a little over 3 miles. I kind of felt like I cheated a little, but hey, I got out and did something, and it was longer than 30-40 minutes.

So yesterday sweet Sami sent me a message saying that she would love to run with me. Of course I took her up on it. You must know that Sami runs way more than I do, she's in much better shape, and she's alot faster than I am. So while I was nervous, I knew that I would enjoy the run so much more with someone to talk to.

Seriously, having a running partner is the BEST thing ever!! Sami was awesome, she knew exactly when to give me mileage updates and she did her best to keep us at a 9 minute pace. I had to ask her to slow down a few times, but I am happy to report that we ran all 3 miles in 29 minutes. Here is a breakdown of the run:

Mile 1: ummm Sami, I know you're excited to run, but can we slow down a bit ; )
Mile 2: best decision ever to get back into running and train for a half.
Mile 2.5: I hate this! Sami please slow down. (I'm pretty sure if Sami wasn't with me, I would have stopped to walk for a minute at this point.)
Mile 3: I am so going to finish this, without walking. Awesome!
30 minutes after run: OMG, I can't stop sweating! Gross!
1 hour after run: We so should have went for 4 miles.

So the lessons of the day:
1. Running partners are awesome! I just love Sami anyways and since our significant others love volleyball so much, it just makes sense that we should run together.
2. Waking up for an early run with the nasty Ohio heat is a MUST until it cools down here.
3. It was nice to run without little A and the stroller this morning, but I need to get a running stroller because she loves the runs and being outside ...well it's also nice to have a cup holder for water too ; )

And since a blog is no fun to read without pictures (and I forgot to take one with Sami and me all hot and sweaty after our run), here is the proof that I ran this morning. I get some crazy frizzy/curly hair when I run.

Day 1: Half Marathon Training

Okay, so technically it's Day 2: Half Marathon Training, but day 1 was REST!!, so does that really count as a training day? Oh, and technically, the race is 14 weeks away and my training program is a 12 week program, but I wanted to get an early start, so I decided to start with the Week 1 workout. Today's workout was 3 miles/30 minutes (whichever comes first). I can usually run about a 9 minute pace, so I when my alarm went off at 6am this morning, I thought, 3 miles, easy peasy, I'll just run it with the stroller when A wakes up from her first nap.

So that's what we did, except that by 10am, the sun was BEATING down and the temperature was up to 83 (felt like 88). So, we only made it 1.15 miles, an our pace was definitely not 9 minutes. It's alot harder to push a stroller (one that claims to be a jogging stroller by the way) especially when its so humid outside. Lesson of the day: When your alarm goes off at 6am, Get Out of Bed NOW, and do not the comfiness of your bed outweigh the benefits of running early in the morning. Seriously! I could have ran in 74 degree weather, with no sun or stroller.

So about this stroller, we LOVED it! It's a Britax B-Agile in black. Seriously, the best stroller ever for walking and running errands. It folds up super easily, it works with Britax carseats (you can buy adapters for other carseats too), which is awesome for a baby that fell asleep in the car on the way to the destination. Anyways, since we have to get a jogging stroller (I'm talking a real one this time) now that I'm training for the half marathon, we are selling this one for $150 or best offer. So all in all, my morning run was a disaster, but not a waste by any means, I learned alot: Wake up at 6am, get a better stroller, and avoid the direct sun. Since the heat doesn't calm down until after dark here, I will be forced to complete my training indoors today on the treadmill. If you know me, you know that I HATE the treadmill. So you can guarantee that I will be out of bed by 6am for my next run on Wednesday (because tomorrow is a cross training day). I will win, I will not let the sun and unbearable Ohio summer get the best of me and my half marathon.