It Can Be Done: 7 Tips for Distance Running with a Stroller

As  you know, I’m training-ish for a 10K, and the book Train Like a Mother? Super helpful to all running and training mamas out there. The authors, of the website AnotherRunnerMother.com, graciously lent me this excerpt because I think it is so helpful for moms trying to get in that run while pushing a stroller. Is that dedication or what?

7 Stroller Strategies When Training for a Race

When we heard Dorothy, another mother runner, pushed a triple stroller for 13.1 miles, we contemplated building a shrine to her.

Here’s how she recounts that epic run: “I told myself I would be happy with five or so miles that day. I wanted to beat the heat, so I woke up 3-year-old Miles, so he honestly was in a daze. He ate his breakfast in the stroller, then was pretty quiet most of the time. The baby, nine months old, was asleep the entire time. Chloe, 5 years old, and I worked on math facts, including counting from zero to a hundred. That kept both of us busy for about five miles. Then I pulled out a new trick: I asked her to tell me stories. She loves to talk, and she told me all sorts of princess stories. That bought me some more miles. Toward the end of the run around mile 12, I said, “Man, Mommy is tired!” Miles started cheering, “Mommy, you can do it!” and Chloe joined in. They cheered me on the entire rest of the way until I hit 13.1.”

In case you don’t have kids—or legs—that are that happy for 13.1 miles, here are some tips from Sarah Johnson, a leader of Stroller Strides in Denver, and her posse of mother runners.