New County Trail

The Fairfax County Cross County Trail is now more stroller accessible! I've never been on the County Trail north of Wakefield Park, but they have smoothed and paved large sections south of Lake Accotink down to Old Keene Mill Rd. If you don't mind some monster hills and stepping stone stream crossings the Cross County Trail is also greatly improved from Hooes Rd to Pohick Rd. The unpaved sections are as smooth as Burke Lake. This is great!

We have been running around Mercer Lake/Burke Lake for over three years now and though they are still the solid go-to runs, it is nice to have a little variety. I greatly prefer trails to roads. They are quieter, shadier, safer (away from traffic) and there is more nature to look at. The stream crossings are a great chance to play "Magic School Bus" when you turn into a sailboat or a motor boat.

Be prepared for the hills.

Iron Will

The Mooseman 70.3 (Half Ironman distance triathlon) is over. Thank goodness.

It was slow. It was pouring rain and cold. It is finished.

I think that it will make my next marathon feel easy.

The beginning of the end

Despite my near constant training this winter and spring (T minus 5 days until Half-Ironman!) pushing the double jogging stroller started feeling harder than it should be. For the first time, I was faced with the possibility that the kids might be outgrowing the jogging stroller! Oh no! Like letting my younger walk down the stairs by herself: I'm just not ready for that!

First, I couldn't make it up the hill at the bottom of my street anymore without unloading one or more kids. Then my son reached 45 pounds (the manufacturer's maximum recommended weight is 50 lbs). The fabric on his side of the stroller is starting to tear. I tried to switch him to the other side of the stroller, but I guess I wasn't accustomed to that since that whole side of my body seized up by the end of that run.

I had been forming grand plans to run my son to school next year, but I may need to revisit those plans. Luckily he will be in school five mornings a week so it is not a desperate situation. None of the kids are proficient bike riders and none are even close to being old enough to be left behind at home. We are, perhaps, entering a sort of limbo. I will still be able to run with my daughter in the single stroller while he is at school, but that puts us back in the car a lot more than I would like.

In the meantime, I replaced the bald tires (that set only lasted one year) and made sure they were fully inflated. I lubricated the moving parts. Perhaps most importantly, I am constantly reminding the kids to sit BACK. I've written before about how much it affects the steering when the kids lean forward.

And it's making me stronger...

The morning after...

Mother's Day.

We ran around Burke Lake on Monday morning after Mother's Day. I chuckled at the morning after debris: a sock, a hat, some spilled "puffs", and Sophie's sippy cup. While the list seems short, it is rare to see such things along this shared-use trail. It seems that there were lots of Dads that helped out Mom by taking the kids around the lake to give her a break :)

Engage Gravity

It finally happened. I can't get up the hill at the bottom of my street. I can take a few steps. Then we slide back down.

My Review of Powerbar Power Gel 24pk Nutrition Gel

Originally submitted at Road Runner Sports

PowerBar® GEL :: Refuel with PowerBar® Gel, now featuring the new PowerBar® C2 MAX carbohydrate blend. During strenuous exercise the body burns carbs and loses key electrolytes through sweat. PowerBar® Gel replenishes and restores those nutrients to help maintain peak performanc...

Powerbar Power Gel 24pk Nutrition Gel

Taste terrible

By runningfor3 from Springfield, VA on 5/6/2010

 

2out of 5

Pros: Portable

Cons: Taste Bad, Not Durable

Best Uses: Short-Term

Describe Yourself: Avid Athlete

My favorite gel is Accelgel. Gu is not bad. The Power Gels were terrible. I had Vanilla. It seemed that the gel separated into a watery top half and a thick, goopy bottom clump that required chewing. Not cool. I never even exposed these gels to extreme temperatures or anything like that, though one would hope that it could handle that anyway since my pocket in August can get pretty darn hot.

(legalese)

Can't Touch This*

As the kids roll along in the big jogging stroller, we see many things (cars, trucks, squirrels, etc.), hear many things (cars, trucks, birds), smell many things (cars, trucks, skunks), taste many tasty stroller snacks, but touch? The kids are mostly told to STOP touching each other! So, to engage this fifth - and so important a - sense, we made a new game.

As we pass street sign or stop sign posts at each intersection, we alternate passing them on the right or left so that the kids can "tag" the post. We slow down, of course, to avoid injury, but don't stop! You'll have to pry their little hands off! It helps the time pass and breaks things up into short intervals. I was surprised by how much with kids liked playing this.

(A disclaimer: this is not for when you are in a hurry. You also need to be careful to avoid wooden posts with splinters, rusty staples, etc.)

This is especially fun when it involves going up and down curbs or struggling through brush. Make it an adventure :)


*Credit due to MC Hammer???