Interval Running With a Double Stroller

I had a babysitter cancel on the day I was supposed to run intervals… so I brought the kids in the double jogging stroller.

I had been looking forward to intervals, and I was stubborn as a mule, so I decided to do the interval run anyway, just with the kids.

Surprisingly, it went pretty well!

Pacing: I didn’t have ANY idea how fast I should be running my intervals to accommodate for the addition of 70 lbs of kids & jogging stroller.  So I decided to run my normal interval pace (if I could) and just do fewer repeats.  It would keep the intensity high for me, and allow me to complete the workout in a timely manner for them.  I usually do only 3-4 miles with them in the stroller, and so doing a 1 mile warmup, 3 miles of intervals, and 1 mile of cool down didn’t seem like a good idea.

I ended up doing 7 repeats of 400 meters aiming for under 2:08, and I recovered based on feel (and how long I wanted to check in with them for) rather than a specific timed recovery.  The last one was REALLY HARD, and I could feel myself getting slower / exerting more effort each time.  Probably I should have slowed them down and done more of them, but this was a lot more fun, and more time efficient.

Pace modifications for double strollers: I remember googling to try to figure out how much you should alter your pace per mile to accommodate for a double stroller.  This is a silly thing to do.  It depends on too many variables to be reliable from person to person.  How much do your kids weigh?  How much does your stroller weigh?  How hot is it outside?  What did you eat this afternoon?  How strong are your arms?  What percentage of your running is done with the stroller?  How flat is the terrain?

It’s pointless.  I’ve learned to adjust based on EFFORT, not pace.  I’m surprised sometimes to learn that my legs want to run a specific cadence, and they would rather push for a pace I’m used to running at for a shorter amount of time than to run slower for longer.  I’ve discovered that my stroller runs are not necessarily that much slower, but they do tend to be shorter.

You’ll discover your own truths about stroller running.  Mine may be affected by the fact that I carry my kids around more than I should – when you life 30 lb weights all day, you’re strong enough for a little stroller running!

Some pros of interval running with a jogging stroller:

-You can periodically check in with your kids

– My preschoolers love the “run fast” “take a break” cycle because it makes it interesting

– On your recovery you can talk to your kids about what they’re seeing, and tell them to look out for landmarks on the next interval

– You look like a total bad-ass when you’re running because for 400 meters you’re flying along behind a double jogging stroller at a pace you can only maintain for a few minutes… BUT NO ONE KNOWS THAT BUT YOU

Some cons of interval running with a jogging stroller:

–It’s hard to convert a scheduled training run for a jogging stroller.  There’s no perfect formula to determine what pace your intervals should be, or how many you should do, or how long you should recover.

-You may have to stop halfway through an interval to provide water, mediate a conflict, pick up a lovey… you name it

-My oldest son actually thinks it’s FUNNY to put his foot over the wheel like a brake, which kills my speed and could seriously hurt his foot

-You can’t run on a track, so you need a GPS watch or detailed map to know how far to run and how fast

-Since you’re not on a track, you may have to deal with pedestrians, stop lights and other obstacles.  That’s one reason I opted for 400 meter repeats rather than longer – I knew that I could probably get 400 meters of unobstructed sidewalk for an interval, but after that I’d hit an intersection or busy strip and need to stop or slow down.

Final thoughts: Interval running with a stroller is a hard workout, so that’s GREAT.  But you need to be easy on yourself and run it based on feel rather than numbers, because there’s no magic math that can tell you how much you should change your pace now that you’re pushing other humans around with you.  Look for somewhere as flat as possible (unless you WANT to do hill repeats with the stroller, in which case you’re insane) and do it until it burns or the kids scream and then call it a day.

Hey – it was cheaper than a babysitter, you got some quality time to point out neat things during your recovery, and they now think you run about three times as fast as you actually do.

What’s not to love?