Equipment Warning

Use caution when you are using hand-me-down or new-to-you equipment! We had a catastrophic failure of a 2001 Graco Doorway Jumper over the weekend. Luckily the baby is fine and I was right next to her so that after the nylon strap snapped and the spring part fell on her head, she did not also fall to the ground.

I mention this in the context of jogging strollers because large, expensive, possibly occasional use baby items are always tempting to use second-hand. That's fine, but be very careful to inspect these items before using them with your children. I've always heard that 7 years is the max for a car seat and no accidents, but how do you check the integrity of a stroller on Craig's list?

I don't have any authority to say this is a complete checklist, but do check the following:
1. Hand and/or foot brakes. Hand brake cable is just like a bicycle so parts are easily replaced. (I have an old post on maintenance.)
2. Tires are inflated to recommended pressure. Read the small words on the side of the tire to figure out what PSI is recommended for your tires.
3. Wheel spokes are tight and true. Loose spoke nuts can cause flats. "True" means that when you spin the wheel, you don't see a wobble.
4. Wheels are securely attached to the stroller. Either the nuts are tightened or quick-release is snug and, for the front wheel, lever to turned to "closed".
5. Harness for children is in good working order. All clips work, straps are adjusted to the correct positions, etc.
6. There are no loose parts that could injure a child. Loose screws? Stays from the canopy?
7. Runaway strap is attached to stroller and free from any moving parts.
8. No tears in the canvas seats.
9. No excessive rust.

These are also things that are worth checking periodically on your own stroller. Good luck.

Too Cold to Run?

The handbrake on my jogging stroller seems to be frozen until the temp reaches about 35 deg F.
Is this a sign that
a) it is too cold to run?
b) it is too cold to run hills?
c) I should stop being a wimp by using the brake to go slower downhill?

Cast your vote here :)

Socks

Before I had kids, I never lost a sock. I don't think I even ever lost a ball point pen. 3 kids later, this is what was left over after some routine laundry recently. You know, 6 or 7 loads.

Stuck in the middle with you!

There was a recent article in Runner's World Magazine about what distance race best suited you (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--13007-0,00.html).

The quiz results confirmed that I am best suited for the middle distance. I also realized, however, that training with the stroller best supports that distance (8-13 mile races). While I have strapped a child into the stroller to do 20-mile training runs, I was also just a little lucky that her temperament was suited to that sort of thing and I don't know if I have it in me to push the double jogger for 20 miles. On the other side of things, it is nearly impossible to keep the same posture and biomechanics one would need for sprinting when you are pushing a stroller. So watch out 10-milers! Here I (we) come!

Run, Jenny, Run

The other day we ran our 6 +/- miles, but it was in 4 segments. Home from school, home from the gas station, back to the gas station, back to school. The baby got some nice stroller naps that day. This begs two questions:
1. Why walk when you can run? To save time? For the exercise? Or because I'm constantly standing behind this "jogging" stroller so I feel like a wuss if I'm walking?
2. Is the sum of my workout greater than it's parts? I'm banking on it ;)

Quote

"There is no one more surprised that I - except my husband. You know what they say: 'Behind every successful woman, there is an astonished man.'"
Gen. Ann Dunwoody, speaking at a ceremony in Washington, DC, honoring her for becoming the first woman to achieve the rank of four-star general in the US military as quoted in Newsweek (November 24, 2008)

The Need for Speed

One often hears about endorphin-highs and people who are addicted to exercise. I definitely feel better - physically and mentally - after I've had my workout for the day, but I think it is my kids that are addicted. Let me explain. Our weekday routine generally consists of walking my eldest daughter to school, going on a jog of variable length with the stroller, and then heading home. The baby always falls asleep during this evolution, though the 3-year-old is just along for the ride. I've observed that on days when we skip this because I've run by myself on a Sat. or some similar interruption of our routine, everyone is just a little crankier than usual. The baby doesn't nap well and the 3-year-old is out of sorts.

So, now that we are revisiting cold weather, I'm finding that this dependence on the stroller has adjusted my tolerances. In an earlier blog about cold weather running, I think that I defined my minimum temperature for taking a baby in the stroller to be about 40 deg F. This year, with this baby, we are redrawing that line at 30 deg F. Poor baby #3...*

*Don't worry, this baby is well-protected by the cold with a snowsuit and blankets and wind/rain shield. She sleeps like, well, a baby :)