On Sunday, I’ll take on the biggest running challenge of my life when I attempt a full marathon pushing my four-and-a-half-year-old in the buggy.
I really don’t know if I can do it. My marathon efforts so far this year have been mediocre at best. 26.2 miles is certainly not my forte.
Plus I’ll be up against some formidable “uncontrollables”:
- my daughter may get fed up and want to stop
- she might need the toilet
- we could get a puncture or other mechanical issue
- if the wind blows, we’re doomed
- if it’s boiling hot, we’re cooked
- if I hit the wall (more “when” than “if” on recent experience) it’ll be game over
But at the same time, I can’t help feeling excited. I absolutely love racing with the buggy (as you can probably tell from this blog!) and my little sidekick is super keen too.
You could say we’ve been training for this race ever since our very first buggy run four years ago. As well as countless hundreds of kilometres running together, we’ve been working on the following useful skills for DD:
- taking off her own jumper on the move
- opening her own biscuit packets and fruit pouches
- reaching her own toys if they’ve fallen into the foot well or got lost underneath her
- not getting cross if the bouncing motion of the stroller ruins her drawings
- doing a lightning quick “wild wee-wee” ha ha ha!
I’ve also tried to prepare for as many eventualities as possible. We’ll travel to the race with the bicycle pump and a few tools. I’ve packed the ultimate collection of little toys (see photo), as well as all of DD’s favourite snacks and two tiny wrapped gifts for novelty value.
For the first time, we’ll also be taking an old smartphone with a few cartoons downloaded onto it. I never usually do this, but an extraordinary challenge calls for a few extraordinary measures! After all, three-and-a-half to four hours (or more) is a long time for the little one to be sitting still.
Although it’s heavy, the major advantage of running with the stroller is that I can load it up with everything I might need. My bottle holder is invaluable and I will tape my gels onto the top of the pushchair for instant access. I can carry a hat in case the sun gets strong and quickly stash any items I take off. It’ll also be handy having my phone with me so we can rendez-vous with the rest of the family as soon as possible after crossing the line.
So I’d like to think I’ve given myself the best possible chances of succeeding, but, as I say, an awful lot can go wrong. Can I run a marathon pushing a buggy? In just three days’ time we’ll find out.
