Jogging with toddler, compromises

bendyourkneekatie

Usually my 2.5 year old is with her gran today so I make the most of the 1 year olds nap and go for a jog. Gran is away, and because I'm a nice wife, I've offered to drag out the old jogging pram and take the toddler with me so hubby can get some quiet study time in.
To make this work I'm going to stop halfway at a park so the toddler can play.
So, calorie wise, I figure pushing a 15kg toddler will be offset by 1) the inevitable slowing in my pace and 2) breaking the 7.5km jog up into halves.
Does that sound silly?

antennachick

I take my 2 kids out for jog nearly every day. I try for 3-5 miles. I go by distance and average pace to figure out calories. And if I stop for awhile I put my tracker on pause. Also if you jog near or to a park your toddler will enjoy that! Bring snacks too
Good luck!

quiltlovinlisa

You do what you can, when you can. I think that sounds like a great plan. I use to bike hauling a toddler and pre-schooler in a trailer. I had some really hard rides with my extra 70 pounds of kids behind me.

mwyvr

katem999 wrote: »

So, calorie wise, I figure pushing a 15kg toddler will be offset by 1) the inevitable slowing in my pace and 2) breaking the 7.5km jog up into halves.

You'll burn slightly more than you would otherwise - you are moving more mass over the same distance, and the running stroller impacts negatively the efficiency of your running form. Both mean more calories being consumed.

Can one quantify how many more? Probably not, and I wouldn't even bother trying.

I used to run with one, and then two, kids, and then one again, all the time. Loved that time with them.

bendyourkneekatie

Well, it definitely burns more calories, that was a tough run! It certainly impressed upon me how much my 10k steps a day pushing 27kg of toddlers around must do for my fitness alone.
I took snacks and she enjoyed the run more than the park I think - we only stayed about 5 minutes before she wanted to go back to "going really fast". I also was so puffed and tired at the 6km mark that I decided to walk the rest, particularly as it was mostly uphill, but:
"mummy, go fast!"
"I'm tired, sweetie, look how red and sweaty my face is, going fast is hard. Can I go slow for a while?"
"No, go fast mummy! You can do it"
She was right, I could.

I'm not gonna try to figure out the extra calories, but I will let myself eat a few more back than I normally would

yesimpson

Sounds like both a parenting and a fitness win

cnbbnc

I used to walk pushing a big ole stroller with a 20lb baby in it. That's a lot of weight to push, especially if you hit anything resembling a hill! After a while (and even though I may have looked stupid) I started jogging a bit while pushing him along. It's a definite win-win in that baby gets a ride and mom gets her sweat on.

Karen_can_do_this

I used to run with my 2 year old in one of those pushy trike thingies. Yep he loved it. I may have to dig it out again

bendyourkneekatie

I'm kinda disappointed that she probably won't be around next Sunday to go running again
I've been looking up double jogging prams so I could take them both during the week, but they're either very pricey, or very scarce second hand. I can't justify spending that much when the older one will probably outgrow it within 6-12 months.

Aside: the post about pushing a 20lb baby made me look up kilo to pound conversions: it sounds so much more impressive to say I push 60lbs of toddlers around all day

jgnatca

Win-win!

KrystalGayle08

katem999 wrote: »

Well, it definitely burns more calories, that was a tough run! It certainly impressed upon me how much my 10k steps a day pushing 27kg of toddlers around must do for my fitness alone.
I took snacks and she enjoyed the run more than the park I think - we only stayed about 5 minutes before she wanted to go back to "going really fast". I also was so puffed and tired at the 6km mark that I decided to walk the rest, particularly as it was mostly uphill, but:
"mummy, go fast!"
"I'm tired, sweetie, look how red and sweaty my face is, going fast is hard. Can I go slow for a while?"
"No, go fast mummy! You can do it"
She was right, I could.

I'm not gonna try to figure out the extra calories, but I will let myself eat a few more back than I normally would

You are awesome! I have just started trying to jog intermittently during my 7.2 km route and my 3 year old who is 42 Pounds just loves it! When I input my calories I just put a regular walk and chalk up the extra calories as a bonus! If I have to take two kids I put my little girl (18 months) on my back in a hiking carrier and that ads another 23 pounds and bonus calories burned. I love it. And it is showing our babies a healthy lifestyle. I think they are more likely to take up running or walking daily If they have grown up watching and being with us.

GiddyupTim

Oooooh yeeeeaaaah! I used to love pushing my kids in the running stroller. We had a gas. Many gases, actually.