I have a 2 month old baby in San Francisco, wife is contemplating pulling the trigger on a jogging stroller for Black Friday as my Christmas gift.
A few questions:
Which to buy: I’ve seen Thule Urban Glide and BOB Revolution Flex. The mommy blogs aren’t much help. I need buying advice of fellow hard core triathletes.
Do I even need one: I’m concerned running with the stroller will screw up my running form or just be a huge PITA. Can you actually get a good workout running with one of these things? I guess my thinking is if wife is out of town and I can’t find a sitter, better off doing something than skipping a run completely…
Assuming there are trade offs vs non-stroller running: How do you all integrate stroller jogging into your schedule? Run with baby whenever you can to give wife time to herself in exchange for more cycling time, or only when absolutely necessary? Do you take baby on long runs, interval/tempo runs, or only easy runs? Does it require any modifications (e.g. shorten duration vs plan due to increased effort of pushing something, etc).
Yes, I’m going to be that guy training like a madman with a newborn. Wife is supportive as long as I do only 70.3 (rather than full IM this year) because she knows racing is key to my sanity.
Chariots are the best in my opinion - we had a single and doubleYes, but one of the best things I ever did with our kids who are now 15, 17, and 19 and all three very fit and active. Running 1000s of miles with me was very formative.Work it into your life, not someone else’s - seriously, do what works.
Supportive spouse is the most important. The way to have a supportive spouse is to properly prime the pump . . . works every time! And, yes I too need it for my psychological health.
I bought a use Bob this summer and it’s been great. I did research too but went used and found a great deal on that one.
You can get a great workout with a stroller! It’s more tiring and slower than a normal run but after a few runs you get the hang of it. I run one handed and switch hands so that one hand is in motion.
I’m a teacher so I had last “summer off†but once I got the stroller I would run with my daughter a lot. Mostly mid week non tempo runs but did to some hour plus runs with intervals. Tempo might be a bit easier than intervals since the pace is consistent.
I love it though! My daughter seems to as well. She falls asleep pretty easy and I’m sure my wife likes the break sometimes when I do it while she’s at home too. Hope that helps!
Im hardly doing IM training, but much of my running is with a 1 and 3 year old in a double stroller and a 4 year old on her bike. Much more tiring and certainly slower, but it’s the only way to make running fit into time when the kids are up.
I would also add that the kids love the adventure of it and Mommy enjoys some quiet breaks.
I’ve got the BOB Revolution Flex (2016). Works great for running, we have the handlebar console too so it can hold bottles/water bottles when running. We also have the Summer 3D Lite stroller for less strenuous tasks (mall, travel, etc) which we use frequently - its much lighter and easy to collapse, well worth the $$ IMO.
You can certainly get a decent workout. I treat it like a slow/easy run, because you’re going to go slower. If you’re going up any sort of hill you’re going to notice it. I feel like it impacts my form a little bit, so generally I only keep one hand on the stroller to guide it while the other swings free, and switch hands every mile or so.
Of course there are trade offs, but IMO its well worth it. Like you mention, it will give your wife a break, she’ll appreciate some time alone. It’s also an activity I can share with my son, and at a younger age it’s a great way to get them to take a nap. For me, I choose to drive ~15 min (guess what, it’s going to be longer when you’re putting kiddo in a car seat and maybe changing a diaper before you’ve even started) to a running path that’s flat/free from cars, then going 5-6 easy miles while they snooze and just enjoy the scenery. I’ve never once thought “I’d rather be doing intervals.”
Good luck! You’re going to be tired, but taking your kid on a run is definitely a fun part of it.
I have a Britax convertible stroller, good enough for short runs with a single kid. Chariot/Thule for anything more than 3 miles easy, or my chariot double for when I have both kids (20 months and 5 years). They LOVE being in the chariot double together. Its cute that the 5 year old takes care of the little one too with snacks or drinks. Im good for up to 2 hours in the chariot running. However, the most Ill do is tempo, and most of the runs are z2. Just not super easy to do intervals. I do consider it a good workout since it almost simulates minor grade with the added weight you have to push.
A huge benefit to the chariot is also the bike attachment. While I only use it sometimes, it does allow us to also have family outings… wife pulls chaript and both kids with her bike and Ill run. We stop about an hour out, kids get to play at a playground, then we head back.
No matter what you decide, getting something is worth it. I love the extra bonding time with the kids.
I push my twin boys around using an instep safari double stroller. They each weigh over 30# so it’s getting harder to take them out. Yes it’s cheap but it has never given me any issues.
Someone here recommended the thule urban glide. I bought it and love it. We use it as our everyday stroller. Another thing someone suggested here. It’s light and easy to break down. I’ll be honest in my son’s first year or so I didn’t run often with him but he’s two and a half now and loves coming with me on runs so we’ve been using it more. I’m very happy with my decision.
i did a lot of research and the thule glide either standard or urban(depends on the style of running) are the best ones out there. This is that all the GWR guys use to set the records in half marathon and marathon.
We have a Bob revolution that we found at an REI garage sale and it was probably one of our best purchases. Started running w/ my daughter when she was about 8 months old and we still run with it even though she is closing in on 4 (tomorrow). I’ve found it so enjoyable that I am now looking for a double Bob as we have a 7month-old.
While I have never done any “speed work” with it, you will realize how much faster you are once you run w/o the stroller and added weight. You don’t want to be the guy in lane 1 at the track with a stroller…other ST’ers will never let you live that down…
Best of luck with your purchase…nothing is quite as awesome as sharing a run with your youngsters.
Thanks all for the advice. Very helpful. My wife was also blown away by the fact that I got a dozen replies from fellow ST dads within a couple hours. Such a great forum.
She’s following this thread and said she’d surprise me with a jogger. We’ll see which she picks. Sounds like Thule or BOB are great options.
Where as initially I was concerned my runs would be lower quality with the jogger, now I’m super excited to run with my son once he’s big enough in a few more months… and pass Ironman fever forward a generation.
I’m most excited though for when the little guy can bike along next to me during runs in a few years. Some of my fondest memories of bonding with my dad were riding my little bike next him, handing him water bottles and learning stuff from him, while he was out on his long runs.
a bit late to the party…but we have a Bob Revolution. Have run over 5000 miles with it. We started at age 4 months, cradling the baby’s head with a rolled up towel, with the car-seat insert. The thing is indestructible. Only had to change the tires once because the tread wore off. Otherwise have done no maintenance.
Have done many, many long runs (16-20 miles), track workouts, etc. Kids love it: looking at the scenery, getting outside, we talk and sing songs with them while running, etc
I also recommend the console for holding water bottles, fruit snacks, etc. If I could do it over again, I would buy the Bob Ironman as it is somewhat lighter and has the fixed front wheel. I found with the Revolution that the adjustable front wheel eventually got locked slightly out of alignment because of rust, so it is functionally fixed now.
It does affect your form slightly, but has not seemed to be detrimental to my overall fitness or ability to run without it.
That might have been me. I’m obsessed with our Thule Urban Glide. It’s our everyday stroller and I bought the bassinet that clips on for our newborn.
To the OP: do not run with your baby until they are at least six months old. Babies lack the neck strength to handle the vibrations during running.
Not all babies are the same, my son has a very strong neck, and could sit upright, hold his head up at 5 months so took him out then without issues, added a car seat pad. Some babies may need to wait till 7 months.
To the OP ,Bob Ironman stroller is awesome, I like that I can pump up the tires with my bike pump. I have gotten 1 flat but was able to get him home and order another tube. The difference between the Bob Ironman and the Revolution flex is the pivoting front wheel. For running you dont need the wheel to pivot, and I’ve read that it’s better for speed in a fixed position. But if you plan to take it other places get the flex. We have a couple other day to day strollers so wasnt an issue for me. And I trained about 60 miles of IMAZ on the stroller, it’s not as good for form but will get the miles in, I’m about 30 seconds a mile slower. On a 9 mile run that I can do at 710 a mile I’ve done at 740 a mile on the stroller.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on a good running stroller - I picked up a rather old-school used Super Jogger off eBay for £25 and it’s been fantastic. My little boy loves it and we regularly get out for 12-20 mile group runs with my running club. I find that at around 6-6 1/2 minute miling, the stroller is worth around a 20 BPM effort penalty, so makes any run a bit more intense.
The bigger the wheels the better IMHO, but that does make the stroller a bit more cumbersome for transport.