Turn on a Dime: How to Turn a Fixed Wheel Stroller II

Obviously, the stronger you are, the easier it will be, but I've defined 4 key areas that you can work on to make it easier to control your stroller*. Likewise, running with your stroller can strengthen your upper body as well as your legs!

1. Abdominal Muscles. You can't underestimate the importance of a strong core - for anything! This is not just about getting your tummy back into shape after baby #x. Your abdominal muscles support your back and whole torso. In addition to classic crunches and/or sit ups - to borrow from Yoga - plank and side plank are great moves to practice. Plus, it is harder for the kids to climb on top of me when I am not laying on my back!

Plank begins on your hands and feet as though you are at the top of a push up. You could also go down to elbows/feet or hands/knees to make it easier as you begin. Trying to keep your body as straight as possible as you hold this position. Take a break and repeat. Side plank is when you rotate onto just one hand or elbow and the outside of one knee or foot.
2. Deltoid Muscles (Shoulders). Let's start with exercises that don't require any equipment - except maybe for a small child if you happen to have one lying about. These are the muscles that surround your shoulders: front, back and side. You can do push ups. You can lift your child up to chin-level, keeping your elbows high ("upright row"). You can lift your child over your head ("shoulder press"). Side raises and front raises hit the right area too, but you might find that any child old enough to be handled in this manner to be too heavy.

3. Pectorals (Chest). Push ups can help here too. The traditional exercise is a chest press while lying on your back. You can try using your kid for this one too, though results may vary.

4. Triceps. These are the muscles that extend your arms. Dips off the end of a chair or bench are great. Tricep push ups keep your hands and elbows in close such that your arms brush your sides as you move up and down. If too difficult, you can do these standing upright and leaning on a wall. Tricep extensions keep your upper arms/elbows still right next to your ears while you move a weight up and down.

* I am not a personal trainer, these are just exercises that work for me.
Also, all pictures are borrowed from other websites. Please click on a picture to go to the website from which the graphic came. Thanks.

Turn on a Dime: How to Turn a Fixed Wheel Stroller

Part I
There are two basic ways to make a fixed-wheel jogging stroller turn where you want to go. Both will feel quite different from turning a swivel-wheel stroller. With a swivel front wheel, one pushes into the front wheel(s) so that it will grip and ground and turn. With the fixed-wheel alternative, you will either
1. lift the front wheel and pivot on the back wheels or
2. torque the stroller to turn without lifting any wheels off the ground.

If you need to make a big turn, such as turning a corner, you will need to push down on the handlebar to lift the front wheel off the ground and pivot on the back wheels. The easiest way to do this is to bring your body in close to the handlebar to take advantage of your core strength and possibly even the weight of your upper body. For big turns or with heavy kids, you may find it helpful to lean with your outside forearm on the handlebar to push it down. Make sure that your kids are leaning all the way back into their seats as well.

For smaller or more gradual turns, it is not always necessary to turn with the front wheel off the ground. I can best describe this option by comparing it to turning a boat by heeling in the opposite direction; heel right to turn left and vice versa. Of course, if you are unfamiliar with sailing, that is not particularly helpful :) This option is more of a lateral push that will torque the front wheel in the direction you want to go. This is ideal if you are making gradual turns along a curvy path or around obstructions that you can see well in advance. Note: This technique will be much more effective when you are running that if you are trying to walk.

If you find this very difficult, there are a few key muscle groups that can help. That's Part II.

Splish Splash

There was a bit of rain on Tuesday...I think that about 1" was recorded which sounds like so little, but...

I had been sick over the weekend and didn't run for 3 days so by Tuesday, come hell or high water, we were going. Well, I got high water. When it is not also cold, it can be liberating to run in the drenching rain. You don't have to worry about leaping over puddles once you've already got water squishing between your toes. You don't worry about covering your head from the rain once you're already so wet that your fingers are shriveled up like raisins. Plus, it is good for mental toughness and for testing out socks.

It is important, however, to have the right equipment if you want to run in drenching rain. #1 = rain shield for the stroller. I can choose this for myself, but it would be unfair to soak the kids. At the end of the 50-minute run, I could wring myself out, but the boy's left leg was only slightly damp and the baby was dry. I would also recommend a hat to shield your eyes from the driving rain and lightweight shorts that don't absorb as much water as mine did.

Q&A Dreamer Design

Q: I need some stroller help! I just bought a new Dreamer Design Ditto Deluxe, 2007 model. It's the model with one-hand fold. Is anything on it likely to break? Anything I should know? I am worried since I can't get parts. If I need new wheels, can ANY bike store wheel work, or does it have to be a certain kind (no longer made)? Also, will this stroller turn? It's a fixed wheel, and I jog, but slowly. Actually I am walking now since baby #3 is due in 2 months.


A: I have the 2005 and 2006 Dreamer Design Ditto models, but not 2007 so I can't speak to the folding mechanism, specifically. I have a Kelty single stroller which has one-hand folding and the only problem I've had with that is that the handlebar padding getting a little torn and as it has aged, you have to make sure that it clicks into the locked position with the build-up of dirt, etc.

You probably will need to replace the tires every 1000-2000 miles, but your 16" stroller tires are just the same as a 16" children's bike, so they are easily found at a bicycle shop like Performance Bike or your local shop. Likewise, the innertubes (in case you get a flat) are easily found at a bike shop. With light-to-regular jogging on paved roads, I would not expect you to have a problem with the wheels or spokes themselves. I had to replace one of my wheels for becoming untrued (bent), but a bike mechanic can fix this if it is not too bad plus I take this stroller off-road and stuff so I'm sure that contributed to the problem. I did recently discover, however, that though they appear to be the same, the front tires from different brands are not necessarily interchangeable because of the quick release.

I have also replaced the brake cable and calipers (the parts that squeeze the wheel to make it stop) after about 2000 miles. They just got worn out and gunked up since I don't do a good job of cleaning off dirt, etc. after runs. When DD was in business, you could order the whole thing, but now you'll just have to get the parts at a bike shop. Just the same as a bicycle as well except that the cable is really long.

What IS likely to break on your Dreamer Design is the fabric. With each year, it seems like it becomes flimsier. Just check to make sure that all the nylon straps which support the seats are going around the frame so that the fabric is not supporting all the weight of the child.

This stroller turns GREAT! That is actually the #1 reason that I stuck with Dreamer Design despite the cons (such as going out of business). Because the back wheels are relatively far forward as compared to other strollers I've tried, it turns much easier than other fixed wheel strollers. You'll find it much easier to turn when you aren't pregnant anymore too. Though it can be annoying when you are walking, you would want to lock a swivel wheel into the fixed position for jogging anyway.

Two important cautions:
1. Also because of the back wheels being relatively forward, it is easy to tip over backwards if one of your kids stands up in his seat or if the stroller rolls backwards and hits a bump or even if you lean too hard on the handle while running uphill. Keep the kids buckled just in case.
2. You may experience this with 3 kids - the footrest looks like a really appealing seat for whichever kid doesn't get a real seat, but it will break the frame if you let the kid sit there because it is only welded together.

Good luck with #3...Third's a charm! I love having three.

How Running with a stroller is like doing a triathlon

This (belatedly) marks my return to "Multisport"!

On April 25/26, Roger and I did two duathlons as a relay team at the National Duathlon Championship in Richmond, VA. On Sat., he rode the mountain bike and I did the trail running segments. Then on Sun., he did the road runs and I biked. Other than being *&%#ing hot, it was great and we definitely held our own, though we did just miss placing on Sunday (we were 4th). I ran over some glass at the very end of the race, but luckily, the tire held air until it was all over. This is very very lucky since I did not realize until we were back home that I did not actually have all my tools and supplies for changing a tire.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our friend Lily who traveled with us and watched the kids at the hotel while we raced. THAT is a good friend!

Running with kids in a stroller is, in many ways, like training for a triathlon. The running part should be obvious, but you are simultaneously worried about getting a flat. Pushing the stroller also requires significant arm strength.

I have also observed that triathletes tend to be an always-be-prepared sort of crowd. As an individual runner, it is easy to throw on some shorts and lace your shoes and that's about it. You can depend on water,etc. at a race. Just as a triathlon requires goggles, towels, water, helmet, bike,2 or more pairs of shoes, spare parts and tools, the list goes on and on... packing up for a jog with the kids in the stroller generally includes 2 or more water bottles, snacks, a towel and/or blankets, hats, first aid kit, keys, phone, tissues, and -oh yeah, right - the two kids!

Finally, at the very least, I'm just trying to keep my head above water both literally and figuratively. Today marks DAY 1 of 2009 triathlon training. Alas, this requires a babysitter since the local rec center won't let me tow the kids in a boat behind me as I swim (kidding). Anyway, 2000 m actually felt good. I'm not fast, but I held my own in the "Medium" lane. So, here we go!

Running my stroller into the ground

Well, it's conclusive. The lifespan of a Dreamer Design Ditto jogging stroller is 4,000 miles. Now the welding at one of the joints has failed in addition to the untrued creaking wheel which is stuck onto the frame, torn fabric and rusted snaps. Unfortunately, it appears that Dreamer Design has gone out of business! Maybe we just ran off-road one too many times, but I do feel that I've gotten my money's worth out of it.

For now I've got it duct taped together while I decide what my next move should be. After giving advice to other people about buying a jogging stroller for so many years, I know exactly what my options are, but none of them are particularly cheap! Even though Spencer is 3 1/2 already, I think that I still have 2 more years of running with the double since he'll go to afternoon preschool and I don't prefer to wait until 1 pm to run everyday! Hmmm...

FOLLOW UP:
I chose to buy the exact same stroller from a seller on craigslist. I had to stay with red. I feel like it's me trademark at this point. I'm the crazy running lady with the giant red stroller. The guy selling it was nice. It may have been used 2 or 3 times, but it looked like it was straight out of the box. Though Dreamer Design is no longer in business for replacement parts or warranty issues, now I have a stroller for spare parts too.

Coincidentally, REI had all their BOB strollers on sale the same week I was making this choice so, on a whim, I put Maddie and Spencer in a BOB Ironman double (the really popular yellow one with suspension) and it was RIDICULOUS! The effort it took to push THROUGH the suspension to make a turn made it almost impossible to turn at all. No wonder so many people find it so hard to run with a jogger! Now I understand why they made a front swivel wheel. Once they added the suspension, you can't turn anymore! So silly...

The Next Big Thing

Arm warmers! I'm convinced that the next fashion fad in running is arm warmers (after the summer, that is). Leg warmers made a comeback, right? So, you heard it here first!

I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler this past weekend. I missed having my stroller along - just an itty-bitty bit - because if I wanted to wear any extra clothes to start out, I wouldn't have anywhere to put them! It was a beautiful day, but a little chilly (50 deg F, +/-) when you weren't actually running. I had to wear shorts and short sleeves to run as fast as I could, so arm warmers were the answer! They are standard wear for bicyclists - which I am also trying to become - so it was great! When I got hot, I just tore them off and stuck them in my waistband. I didn't even need to slow down.

I chuckle a little since there are so many problems with trying to transition from jogging with a stroller to racing without one. But if I can figure out the wardrobe, at least that is a start. I used to subtract 1 min per mile from my stroller pace to approximate my non-stroller pace, but I think that the stroller must be getting heavier because I pulled 7:22 min/mi, on average, in the race and I am definitely not running 8:30s or better with the stroller these days.