I had previously attempted to run with my daughter (11 months now) in the jogging stroller but found it to be a pain. However, this past weekend I decided to commit to making it work so I took her with me for a 6 mile run. As I had experienced before, this was difficult, I think mainly due to my hands being tied up on the stroller as opposed to freely moving by my sides. Throughout the run I tried using one hand at a time, which definitely helped to some extent. I know there are a lot of parents out there so I was wondering if you guys had any tips on the “proper” way to run with a stroller. There is also the possibility that it’s just that much more difficult than regular running and I just need to deal with it (HTFU in other terms) and get used to it. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I have a Chariot that I run with pushing my son, who’s 13 months old. I find it easiest to do the 1 handed thing. I also will sometimes push the stroller ahead and take a few strides ‘normally,’ then repeat. I only do this on a flat bike path though (my wife probably wouldn’t like this idea).
I also have seen some sort of attachment that you can wear around your torso/chest that puts the stroller out in front of you and allows you to run without having your hands on the stroller. Something along the lines of this.
I run with my son who is 16 months several times per week. I started when he was much younger and put him in his car seat and placed that in the stroller. It is more difficult, no doubt. But, you end up with a bit of a core and upper back workout by pushing the thing!
I find the best thing to do is constantly switch between two hands and one hand. That helps keep things moving. Also, your stroller should have a “leash” to wrap around your wrist. If you are on a very flat road with no traffic, while the leash is attached you can briefly let go of the stroller and run up alongside the stroller for quick mini speed bursts. I find the games of “peek-a-boo” doing this can be very entertaining. (No, I’m not advocating for running with your child for long periods while not holding onto the stroller . . .)
Also, I found this year that doing hill repeats with the jogger was a phenomenally painful/hard workout that was great at building strength. Think 30 seconds - 1 minute on a hill that is 5-7%.
We used one these with a chariot stroller. Not perfect, but it was outstanding. Pretty much solves all the major stroller problems.
http://www.stroll-smart.com/
(no connection between us and this company)
We have two kids now and the double BOB. I can run with it fine but its too tall for my wife. There are some slight variations in the height of the stroller, so make sure you get a good “fit.” Dare I say your stroller is too high 
Also, I run with a shorter stride and midfoot strike, which makes the stroller a bit easier for me vs my wife, who has more of a clearance issue with a heel strike. Again, you might need to look into a stroller that fits you better.
Finally, make sure you keep your upper body relaxed or your shoulders and back will be a mess. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my elbows bent and my shoulders loose. Hope this helps.
We have two kids now and the double BOB. I can run with it fine but its too tall for my wife. There are some slight variations in the height of the stroller, so make sure you get a good “fit.” Dare I say your stroller is too high
Also, I run with a shorter stride and midfoot strike, which makes the stroller a bit easier for me vs my wife, who has more of a clearance issue with a heel strike. Again, you might need to look into a stroller that fits you better.
Finally, make sure you keep your upper body relaxed or your shoulders and back will be a mess. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my elbows bent and my shoulders loose. Hope this helps.
x2, I have the same stroller with a midfoot strike as well and didn’t find it too bad. I set my watch to beep every km and switched the hand holding the stroller to avoid developing any asymmetry issues. In addition to hills, the wind also makes for a decent strength workout, especially with the double wide! I think 6 miles was about the longest I ever ran with it, but was able to work in some quality either with tempo runs, or some strides - the kids got a kick out of those.
I didn’t like running with the stroller at first, felt really awkward. Just like you tried different tech’s until I settled on alternating hands. Took a few runs but got used to it.
We used one these with a chariot stroller. Not perfect, but it was outstanding. Pretty much solves all the major stroller problems.
http://www.stroll-smart.com/
(no connection between us and this company)
that looks pretty awesome. and that kid in the video is also getting some decent heat prep in the desert
that looks pretty awesome. and that kid in the video is also getting some decent heat prep in the desert
Yeah, and you would not believe how many people on foot, on bike, and even in cars would do a double take when one of us would would run by.
We used one these with a chariot stroller. Not perfect, but it was outstanding. Pretty much solves all the major stroller problems.
http://www.stroll-smart.com/
(no connection between us and this company)
Thanks everyone for the inputs, it sounds like it just takes some time to get used to running with a stroller, although this looks like it may help. Does anyone else have experience with the StrollSmart, the Amazon reviews seemed to be pretty mixed?