Enjoyed this article - we have very similar issues here in Nashville! Thanks to Mike for sharing it with me.
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15 things I’ve Learned in 1500 Miles of Stroller Running
1. It’s way easier to get a child into a stroller than a car seat.
2. Most Minnesota drivers ignore the crosswalk laws (they do in Nashville, too!). But they’re more likely to stop for you when you have a stroller. There are two interpretations of this pattern. Strollers genuinely make you more visible. Or, there’s a lot of chosen ignorance of the crosswalk law.
Drivers are getting better at stopping at this crosswalk.- 3. Distracted walking really is a thing. People wander all over the sidewalk without checking oncoming or passing traffic (I'd argue that without a true culture of walking, people never really learn where their body is in space). But we’ve only clipped 1 person a year.
- 4. Minneapolis and St. Paul have some excellent trails that get plowed well enough to stroller run most of the winter (temperature permitting).
A plowed path all to ourselves!
5. If you’re going to take the kid out on cold (below freezing) days, invest in a wheat bag warmer. Heat it in the microwave and it’ll keep the kid toasty warm for an hour or more. Needless to say, below about 45°F you should have a weather shield on the stroller.
6. A lot of intersections have poorly thought out curb ramps, or none at all.
7. I know tactile paving at intersections is a good thing, but it’s a little annoying with a running stroller. The plank road near the Stone Arch bridge is even worse.
Lift the front wheel up as you take a stroller over the plank road.
8. You can fit a lot of stuff in the bottom of a stroller. Once you’re pushing 50 lbs of stroller and child, why not add 20 lbs of groceries? It’s already going to be slow going up any hills.
9. If you’re a toddler, downtown Minneapolis’ combination of light rail lines (wish we had here!) and construction sites is incredibly exciting.
Running with your kid in a stroller is a great way to get around taking photos of construction sites.
10. Most people aren’t active commuting their kids to daycare. But a lot of parents seem to want to, given the number of wistful conversations I’ve had about “how lucky you are.” I think their kids want to as well (see point 1). But daycare drop-off is not the time or place to talk about changing our zoning so more people can live close to work and stores. Or maybe it is …
About 5% of the kids at our daycare get there by bike or stroller.
11. You can have much more of a conversation with your kid when you’re running than when you’re driving (agreed!).
12. Children have a good sense of direction and geography at a remarkably young age ( totally agree - I have a great sense of direction and I believe it comes from all the walking and biking I did as a child).
13. Physics: On the flat without a lot of wind I can run pretty close to my normal pace, but up a hill or into the wind, things slow down significantly. And running with an empty stroller is actually harder because the weight and balance is all off.
14. Don’t bother taking a puncture kit with you, but do have your phone and wallet with you; and have a puncture kit and spare tubes at home.
15. A lot of our city must be awful to navigate in a wheelchair or with other mobility impairments, and especially in winter (Nashville - this is you!).
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http://streets.mn/2016/01/01/15-things-ive-learned-in-1500-miles-of-stroller-running/
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