Running is great. Running with young children is not always so great. One day last week, my daughter had a sudden nose bleed. This required me to stop mid-run and help my little sweetie. By the time we were done using up all the tissues in the car (and my running towel), my groove was gone. I left, and returned hours later to finish the run. In hindsight, I smile. But mid-run, it's just plain annoying. In a loving way, of course.
That's why I'm happy that I work with a husband who is home all day with me so I can get in most of my runs without interruption. Such was the case today when the hubster took my son to his T-Ball game, and our daughter accompanied them as cheerleader. I found walked around the park to see if there was a running trail, and lo and behold, there was the John A. Moga Memoral Fitness Trail (pictured). It's 31 miles of dirt terrain with slight hills and lots of twists and turns. I found a little piece of it that I could run in safety, near the baseball fields, and off I went. Here are today's deets:
- Weather. 57°F, cold and overcast
- Location. Optimist Park, John A. Moga Memorial Fitness Trail
- Distance. 2.26 miles
- Calories. 212
- Time. 5:58pm
- Run Time. 35.52 minutes
- Average Pace. 15:53 minutes/mile. Yesterday's run was 16:01 minutes/mile. I am especially excited to see the improved time because I earned it on more difficult terrain.
- Playlist. Thriller by Michael Jackson, Van Halen's “Jump”
- Condition. Strong and absolutely pain free.
This was my first run on uneven terrain and I could really feel the difference. I'm not sure if RunKeeper (see video) accounts for terrain when it calculates calories burned, but I'm sure I burned more calories running this distance on challenging terrain than if I had run the same distance at my usual flat track. I could feel it!
Question: If you're a parent, how do you manage to fit in exercise?
