Tomorrow I’m supposed to run 18 miles. Eighteen miles and we’re expecting a hurricane to hit us. Fabulous. Since we don’t really know when the storm is supposed to arrive, I decided it was best to try to get my long run in today. I thought about swapping this week’s 18 miles with next week’s – a recovery week – 10 miles. Then I thought maybe I should give 18 miles a shot – with Zain in the jogging stroller. I told myself I should run at least 8 miles then I’d just take it from there. I gathered everything we both would need for the long haul.
Fuel for mama
I knew I wouldn’t need as much fuel as I brought for myself, but I brought it just in case. I ended up only having 2 gels and one Honey Stinger Waffle (by the way, those are delicious!). I had one bottle filled with water and one with Nuun. I also brought an extra bottle of water which I used to refill my bottles about half way through.
Fuel and entertainment for mama's running buddy
I was well-prepared to keep Zain entertained and content with snacks and water. I brought some of his favorite books and a few toys. Turns out the little man was worn out by mile 8 and he fell asleep. Then I was just able to enjoy the added weight of his gear that he didn’t need. I guess it’s good practice for when he gets bigger or for one day when I have 2 passengers 
.
Running is exhausting!
When we started our run, it was about 70 degrees and 89% humidity – lovely! By the end of our run, it was 81 with a heat index of 84 and very sunny. It was too hot for me and I just knew I wasn’t going to make it 18. I decided to push myself until I made it to 13.1. That’s the farthest I’ve ever run with Zain (my previous longest run with him was 12 miles). I know I’ll probably never be able to run a real half marathon with him since strollers are usually prohibited so I decided at least we can run a half on our own!
Done. Not the best pace, but definitely the best I could do today.
I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed I didn’t make it to 18 miles. I’ve been beating myself up about it since we got back home. I know I could have done it if it was like 10-15 degrees cooler outside, but the heat was just zapping my energy today.
Sleepy boy after just waking up when we got home
I know the 13.1 miles I did make it through were still great and I’m proud of making it that far. When it was tough and I didn’t think I could keep going, I remembered why I’m running and why I have to keep fighting. I’m running so I can make a difference. I’m running for The Ulman Cancer Fund’s Team Fight. Please support me in my fight!
When we got back inside, he wanted to get me some more water. Such a sweetie!
And now I will leave you with a sweet treat I made this week. I was asked to make cake pops for a baby shower this past week. It was a shower for 3 mamas-to-be – one having a girl, one having a boy and one having a surprise. I’m putting all the money I made selling my cake pops toward my fundraising goal for Team Fight. A sweet treat for a great cause!
Baby shower cake pops - filled with chocolate fudge cake
Pink, blue and green!
Happy running and stay safe if you’re in an area that will be affected by Irene!
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Way to go baby!
Thanks love dove
I have had a discouraging week run wise. My pace has been slow all week. A half-marathon with a stroller is a-mazing. Congrats! And thanks for the info on what you take with you
Thanks Kara! It’s frustrating when you have a bad run or a bad week of running. My runs lately have been tough. It’s been hard physically and mentally to keep going. But the bad runs make the good ones even better! I’m very hopeful that the cooler Fall weather will make things easier!
Awesome run! 13.1 is nothing to be upset about, especially with the added weight of the stroller, supplies, and handsome little man. Great job. I can’t wait until I can start running again. Only 5 more weeks until I have the baby!
Thank you Gina! I can’t believe you only have 5 weeks left. I’m sure it will feel great to get running again!
Well it’s sound like you are doing great. I want to get to that amount of miles but lately my longest is 8. What race are you training for?
I tried running with my son in a stroller 2 years ago but it didn’t go very good. LOL It turned out to be okay, I would just run when my husband was done with his run. Now all three will be in school so I will be running outside again..Yay..no more treadmill.
BTW the cake pops look yummy!
Yay for no more treadmill! I have a terrible time trying to run on the treadmill. I’m sure once you get outside more, you’ll be able to increase your mileage. I’m training for the Baltimore Marathon. This will be my first time running it, although I ran the Baltimore Half in 2006. It’s a great race, but hilly! Eeeek!
Way to go on completeing 13.1 with a stroller. Its amazing the amount of people who will say they cant run because they dont have a sitter for their baby and here you are proving them wrong!
Aw thank you so much! I really hope to inspire other moms (and dads, too!) to run with their kids. It’s not easy, but it can be fun for everyone
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You managed a half marathon with a stroller…you deserve a medal for that let alone any races you are entering lol.
Happy running
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