Going for a Jog

Thanks to the time change, the kids are sleeping in!  Jayden woke up around 8:30 and Willow after 9!  I'm not complaining, I love sleeping in, except our Strollers in Motion (SiM) class starts at 9, which means we haven't been making it this week.  And I just can't not do something, I mean we're leaving to drive to Phoenix on Thursday, which means sitting in the car for 2 days and I've got to get some exercise and move my legs before we're all cooped up together.  :)

Sometimes it takes some negotiating to convince my kids to go for a run with me.  If we're at SiM, they at least get to talk to other kids and be entertained by Tonya.  Running down the road gets a little boring, even if we get to run through a "forest" and look for bunnies.  So, I got Willow on board by telling her I'd run to the gazebo, which means that at our turn around point, she can get out and play in the gazebo for awhile.  Jayden told me he wasn't sitting in the stroller, he was going to run with me.  I told him, he could run down our street with me, but then had to get in until we could see the gazebo, then he could get out and run again.  He then told me he wasn't going anywhere without Sam.  Oi!  Do you have any idea what it is like to run 5 miles pushing a good 75+ pounds of kids and stroller and then have to try and control a 70+ pound dog with your free hand?  Don't get me wrong, Sam does great on a leash, but he has a little trouble when there is a double wide stroller in front of him.  He is always pulling trying to get around in front of it, which means his foot get runs over, he pulls the stroller in one direction, his leash gets all tangled, my poor one arm gets tired from pulling him back.  And when I start running with these kiddos, they expect me to keep going, and stopping every 50 feet to correct or untangle the dog makes them think we're done and they can get out.  So, I told Jayden if he had to have Sam come with us, then he was going to have to hold onto Sam's leash and keep him in line.  Once Jayden got the distance of the leash figured out and could keep Sam real close to him, they did great.  And when Sam got a little "pully" on the leash I didn't actually mind to much because he was pulling on the heavy side of the stroller and it made it a little easier!  And with Sam running right next to Jayden, he got a lot of pets on the back and "good job, Sammy!", and "you're running great, Sam!" and "good job not chasing those geese, Sam!", and who doesn't like a little encouragement, right??  I mean, when I pass some other runners, I get a lot of crazy looks and "Wow! You've got your hands full"  and "I'm not sure how you run pushing that thing" to which I reply, "well, it comes with a spot to hold my water bottle, so I guess it's worth it to me..." to which I get more crazy looks and sometimes a nervous laugh.  Just wait until I start running with a super hero cape on, then they're really gonna think I'm neat!

When we got to the gazebo, I tried to convince my entourage to let me take their picture.  Here's what I got....

 

"I'm closing my eyes this time!"

 

and "Mom, the sun is in my eyes and I just can't do this anymore...."