This week, as I do most weeks, I set out for a long run with my son in the pram. As I've written about before, I enjoy these runs as I get to spend time with my son. Pram runs also make me run slower and enjoy time on my feet. They act as a bit of a recovery run and help when I'm putting in big miles week in week out. And when I've got the pram with me, I can do other things like pick up some shopping from the supermarket as I've got somewhere to carry it. I planned on running 20 miles with the pram this week but things didn't quite go to plan. Planning the route As always, we leave the house in the car and drive to a small car park on a cycle path. From here, we can get on the cycle track and head down to the seafront to get the run done. I find this is a great place to start as it's a tarmac track and it's relatively flat. Perfect for running with the pram. It's also quiet during the day and there aren't too many people to have to weave in and out of, which would be tricky while pushing 10-12 kg (or more!) in the pram. I know that the cycle track is 2 miles down to the seafront, so I immediately know that by running down it that I'll easily clock 4 miles. Just another 16 to run when I get to the seafront. I always do the same thing, turn right at the sea and head towards Mumbles, turning at Knab Rock and heading back. This usually takes me to around 6 miles as it's 2 there and 2 back. Then, I start to work out how far I need to run in the opposite direction (towards Swansea city centre) before I turn and head back. I usually get this maths spot on and know exactly where to turn but this week I think I must have really been enjoying the run. For some reason I worked out that I needed to run 7 miles out and then head back, which would have taken me to 20 miles by the time I hit the cycle track again. I didn't even question myself and set off along the seafront. I would only come to learn of my mistake much further down the line. Drinks and snacks Although he doesn't need much entertainment while watching the world zoom by, I break the run up for my son by stopping every 5 miles to make sure he's ok and give him a drink or a snack. I use this as an opportunity to fuel myself too. At 5 miles we both have a drink (water for Oscar and electrolytes for me), followed by a snack at 10 miles (a snack bar for Oscar and dates for me), and another drink at 15 miles. I also switch the toys around to keep Oscar entertained. This week we brought a book with us and I noticed that people cycling, running, or walking towards us were smiling. As I can't see through the opaque sun cover on the pram, I assumed that Oscar was doing his usual thing of waving at people, pretending to be an airplane , or maybe even eating his socks. But on one of my routine checks to make sure that he hadn't thrown anything out of the pram, I found that he was reclined in the pram with his book open, reading his Ladybird Animal Sounds book like he was deeply entwined in the world of Charles Dickens. It made me laugh too. One thing that I have to look out for is the throwing of items out of the pram. Oscar loves to kick his shoes off and more than once they have ended up on the floor. More often than not I'm a pro at spotting this and immediately retrieve the wayward show and keep it with us in the handy understorage compartment of our Hauck Runner. Only once have I missed a flying shoe but was lucky enough to be alerted by a passing cyclist. We did have to retrace out steps for about 1/4 mile to find the shoe! I think he's encouraging me to run further - not a bad coaching technique! Picking up the shopping I mentioned the handy understorage compartment of the pram above and this really helps when there are a few small items of shopping that we need to get from the supermarket. Sainsbury's in Swansea is well positioned for this and I tend to stop in on every pram run. It's usually for things like coconut or oat milk, dates, nuts, spirulina, or cacoa nibs. These items generally fill one shopping bag and this fits nicely in the storage compartment under the pram seat. This is handy, but it does add some extra weight to the pram, which is not always great when you've already got 18 miles in your legs. I definitely found this out this week. It's all good training however as I'm left with no option but to keep running, or we wouldn't get home. I think it definitely helps to build some mental strength and I'm not about to stop doing this anytime soon. The weather So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post, things didn't quite go to plan. I overshot my turning point, adding an extra 2.5 miles to my run. No problem, miles are miles, and Oscar was having a great time, so nothing to worry about. Then, I added the shopping into the mix, adding another 3-4 kg to the weight I was already pushing in the pram. Still, no problem, this little increase in intensity at the end of the run is a good endurance test. But then, the weather hit me. The wind, as it almost always does in Swansea, was blowing from west to east, meaning that I had a headwind for the last 6 or 7 miles of the run. The wind was strong this week, and coupled with the pram acting as a wind breaker, made things difficult and uncomfortable for the last 45 minutes. I don't mind this and I quite enjoyed it because, similar to the method behind my madness for picking up the shopping, anything difficult adds an extra dimension to your training and can only make you stronger. Instead of 20 miles, I got back to the car at 22.6 miles, my longest run with the pram. Although the end was uncomfortable, I really did enjoy being out there and sharing a great time with my son. This made me start thinking, maybe I could run a marathon with the pram soon. I already knew about some of the world records for pram running and I think they are achievable with some pram specific training, but as a goal, this doesn't really get me going. My thoughts immediately went bigger - has anyone run an ultramarathon with a pram? And, what is the furthest distance anyone has run with a pram? I've found a Guinness World Record for the fastest 50 km pushing a pram, 3h 16m, 16s, and a team of 10 Royal Marines pushed a pram containing an adult, 271.7 miles in 24 hours in 1990. But these are the closest I can find. For perspective, the pace for both are 6:17/mile and 5:17/mile, respectively. I can't find anything for the furthest distance covered by a single person with a pram in 24 hours...If you know of anything please let me know!
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