Jogging with Children

My children are not children anymore, but now budding teenagers.  But when they were children, I don’t know where I would have been without my jogging stroller.  Being an active runner, I came up with many creative ideas on how to get my running workouts in.  One of my favorites was heading to the track.  The long jumping pit served as a sandbox for the kids to play in, or they would ride around the track on their 3-wheelers and later graduated to the two wheel bicycles and they would ride loops around me.  Although the scenery was the same and could get pretty boring at times, it still allowed me to get my runs in.  But I don’t know where I would have been without my jogging stroller.  The kids loved it, the fresh air blowing in their face and the scenery was forever changing. 

Today there are many brands of jogging strollers. Jogging strollers usually have a basic model or with an assortment of features.  I must admit, when I was running with my kids, my jogging stroller didn’t have many bells and whistles, other than a brake and it packed up really nicely.  However, because of their popularity and the competition, there are many choices of jogging strollers to choose from. With the past experience that I’ve had, if I was in the market today, a few features that I would look for are:

• Make sure there is a sturdy seat belt that wraps around your baby’s waist and between his/her legs and shoulder straps are essential.
• Check that the hand brakes grip the tires easily and effectively.
• Make sure the stroller does not collapse too easily. It should have an easy to use locking mechanism and be easy to maneuver in a straight line.  However, it is a nice feature to have a stroller that folds up nicely.
• The handle height should be waist level or slightly below.
• An adjustable (and removable) canopy is essential, especially if you live in a rainy climate.

Today my “teenagers” are very active in sports.  They run, swim, compete in triathlons, play a multitute of team sports and they love it.  They are so proud of their sporting abilities and this contributes so much to their positive self-image.  I often think that because we introduced them into the running and triathlon world at such an early age and continually throughout their lives what a major role this has played on their involvement and enjoyment in sports.

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