the stroller long run

It was an absolutely beautiful day on Saturday.  Matt had a track meet and my built-in babysitters (Gigi + Pawpaw) were still living it up in Cancun.  I really wanted to get my long run of the week in, but I was nervous to do it while pushing MacKenna.  It had been awhile since I had pushed her in the stroller and our last run together about a month ago had been pretty horrific.It is really difficult for me to run on Sunday mornings because (1) I like to use that as my rest day, (2) I like to sleep in, and (3) I simply just don't have enough time.  And with rain in the forecast, I knew I really need to get it done on Saturday.My #1 to-do when moving in with my parents was to air up the tires in the jogging stroller.  Um, why did I wait so long to do this?!  It's amazing how much easier this made it to push her.  It felt about 15 pounds lighter than that last horrific run, so I knew right away that my long run wasn't going to go as terribly as I originally thought.I loaded MacKenna up with a jacket, her water, some goldfish crackers, and her iPhone (my old one loaded with toddler apps) in hopes that she would stay at least a little entertained and not force me to turn around early.

My goal for this long run was to run for an hour.  I was hoping to do 8, but figured since my pace would be slower, 7 miles was a better plan.  I had run 7 miles the week before so I decided that I would just run the same route I ran last weekend.  The great thing about running around my parents house is that I feel safe.  Even the "busier" roads I am running on have sidewalks and a 30 mph speed limit.  There are plenty of stop signs and most of the drivers are very aware and considerate of pedestrians.  Every car that was stopped waved me on to go before them, which would have never happened at my old house.  Plus, on my long runs, I get to run in the beautiful historic part of the city, lined with gorgeous old houses.MacKenna was absolutely perfect on the run!  She didn't complain one time and I actually got to enjoy hearing her sing to some of the songs she was playing on her phone.  I was worried going by one of the parks that she was going to freak out about not stopping to play, but I don't think she even noticed it.  (Don't worry, I would have stopped on the way back.  I'm glad I didn't have to though!)

Of course, I would have loved to run by myself and run a little longer and faster, but I'm so happy with my pace!  I expected 9 to 10-minute miles, so an 8:40/mile pace was a very pleasant surprise!

With Matt's track season not even halfway over yet, I see many more stroller long runs in my future - and I'll be happy to take them!  As long as MacKenna cooperates...