Positive Results by Sabrina

I was listening to a podcast when I was pregnant and the mom admitted she didn’t like running with her jogging stroller anymore. She loved the idea of training with her littles but she also loved the idea of leaving them home and being alone. She was surprised by this realization and still coming to terms with it at the time of the podcast.

When you’re imagining training with your baby, you have all the good thoughts. But when reality hits, it’s not always fun. 

I was delusional too. I wanted our B.O.B. more than anything when I was pregnant. I’ve already raised two kids without fancy gear and gadgets. As much as baby gear and toys have evolved between children, there wasn’t anything that I knew about on the market that I needed. I wasn’t nearly as active when I had my older two and I had only ever glimpsed running strollers. When AJ was born, I didn’t understand why the front tire didn’t turn and couldn’t imagine trying to run with it.

After joining BARC and watching all of the parents participate in races with their kids over the years, the running stroller was the only thing I absolutely knew I wanted for this baby. And when my car was stolen, it was the first thing I cared about replacing. I love having the option to run with Amelia. She loved it when she was younger. People were always surprised by how well behaved she was. As long as we were moving, and not standing around talking, she was as happy as could be. She’s covered countless miles walking, hiking and running (I used to track the miles on the Garmin app but haven’t been as diligent and that doesn’t count the in between walking.)

But as Amelia’s gotten older, the emphasis is on the word OPTION. 

Strapping her to my chest was also a good option when she was a baby. AND we liked when she was big enough to ride safely and comfortably in the stroller. The running stroller is great when I want to get baby out to explore and when I have no other option. It moves much better than our secondary stroller, is waterproof and all-terrain. But it’s definitely not an option I want to use 100 % of the time. 

This is a fact that many parents are afraid to admit out loud because we don’t want to hear the judgement. Moms often get asked, “who watches your kids while you work out?” as if leaving them for an hour is the worst thing we could ever do to them.

 “Why would you want to leave your kids if you can take them with you? 

Don’t you want to spend more time with them? 

Don’t you want them to be included?”

Yes and NO! 

We deserve time alone. We deserve time to ourselves.

Full stop.

Really no additional information needed.

I’ve met parents who love running and racing with their younger kids. I’ve also met a few that refuse to let their kids know there is an option for them to join in. Both are amazing. We give so  much to our families. We deserve the option to make our own decisions.

Training together means more stops, more snacks, more weight and more what ifs. I have to keep her warm and cool and dry and safe. I also have to listen to her while listening all around us to make sure we’re safe. There are places I can run alone that I can’t run with her. Physically and for fear of exposing her to things she doesn’t need to deal with, like excess car fumes and smoke. I have to ‘entertain’ her so that we don’t have to end the run when she’s done rather than when I’m done. Yes, some solo runners like to count dogs while they run but not every mom wants to focus on counting birds, dogs and flashing lights for every minute of every mile. Sometimes we just want to listen to our own music and run.

Someone asked me about zoning out and finding the runners high. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt it and I realized it can’t happen for me because I have to be tuned in so much lately. The majority of my runs are with Amelia, or with Luna or with my beautiful athletes. As much as I love it, I’m constantly tuned into them so there is no option to zone out. I talked to another dog mom this am and she said the same thing. Running with our babies means we have to worry about them. It will always change the dynamic of the run.

Running with external focus makes me appreciative of the times I do get to run with less thought. The times where someone else is calling out the directions, intervals and route. The times where I can just follow along and tune into my own body, safety and surroundings. As a woman, a smaller woman at that, there may never be a time where I fully tune into the run and tune out my surroundings in public. My safety has to remain a priority but there are definitely times where I can be less focused on the external and more focused on the internal.

The point is that we all deserve options. We all deserve choices. We deserve safety and we deserve autonomy. And we don’t have to justify our choices to anyone else.

As often is the case lately, this is about running and this isn’t about running. 

You choose what works for you. You protect your family, friends and community. And you continue to speak up for others who can’t speak up or themselves. You’re not alone.