So. BOB.
I suppose I should retract some of my former statements regarding my newest running partner. I suppose I should say I don’t loathe him, I don’t hate him, he’s not the worst thing to happen to running since toe shoes, but I’m kind of stubborn so I’m not going to outright say that 😉 Instead, I will tell you that we’ve actually kind of started working through those kilometres together, no longer fighting each other with each stride/roll we take. I don’t procrastinate my runs with him, nor do I fret them. It seems, I’ve finally resigned to the fact BOB is my new running partner… no getting around that.
But my gawd, trying to keep up a good, solid, coach-instructed tempo pace – with BOB – is freaking hard as hell!
Coach NZ wants me to be pacing out my tempo runs below 5:30 min/km, which should be doable. When I ran the Toronto half, I averaged 5:27 and felt great, but with BOB I’m huffing and puffing at 5:45 min/km just minutes into the run. What the freak?
Oh right. BOB weighs 25 pounds; Little Ring weighs 17.5 pounds; I’ve only got one arm to pump with; I’m trying to keep form and pace with a beast below me – it’s no wonder I’m dying out there.
But the thing is, when I’m out there, I’m not thinking about all that. I’m thinking why the heck am I struggling? Why the heck does it feel like I’m going uphill all the time? Why the heck is it so hard for me to shave off 10 to 20 seconds at a consistent pace? Why the heck am I so much slower than my pre-pregnancy paces? What is wrong with me?
YESTERDAY’S TEMPO:
- 11:30 a.m. BG before: 6.9
- Temp. basal: none
- Carbs 1 hour prior: 3 crackers with peanut butter; 15 grams, no bolus
- Distance: 6.68 km
- Time: 40 minutes – 5′ warmup, 30′ tempo, 5′ cool down
- Average tempo pace: 5:43 min/km
- 1 p.m. BG after: 4.4
- Post-run bolus correction: none
I was pretty deflated following yesterday’s tempo run. It was the second week in a row where I was just over 10 seconds above where I should have been. That may not sound like a lot, but for a girl wanting to improve her speed, in my head, that 10 seconds feels like a mountain.
So, I finally relented. I opened the links Big Ring emailed me months ago when I first started running with BOB. His intent back then was to show me the benefits of BOB, and to avert my attention away from iBert, but I was having none of it. Until yesterday.
And low and behold, this is what I discovered.
• Running with a stroller, you can expect your pace to be at least 37 seconds per kilometre slower than your normal pace.
• Running with a stroller burns more calories with the added resistance
• Running with a stroller works deltoids, pectorals and biceps, because even though you’re not holding your child, you’re still pushing that weight, which theoretically should produce a more efficient runner.
• Running speed intervals with a stroller works your cardiovascular system more effectively.
• Running hills with a stroller burns hella amount of calories
Working those glutes on the hills of New West! (Note: this was taken back in January)
And on runs without BOB, the word is, you should be faster. Just ask Olympian – and mom – Kara Goucher. In a Competitor, Your Online Source for Running article, Goucher conceded that running with strollers is difficult and that they most definitely do slow you down. “There’s no getting around that,” she said. “Then again, when you get to run a race without the stroller it will feel amazingly easy – so PRs are quite possible!”
Hmmm… maybe BOBs not actually slowing me down, but rather speeding me up. Wouldn’t that be nice 😀