Packing for a race is always challenging.  You never want to leave home without your favorite socks, or your watch or your lucky shorts.  As a parent, I have found it increasing difficult to pack for a race, especially when I am running with my jog stroller and kids.  I find that I am more concerned about their needs and then inevitably I forget the essential race gear I need to race.  In order to avoid forgetting crucial race gear and my kid’s necessary items, I created a Racing with a Stroller – Race Day Checklist. Now, you can pack for a stroller friendly race and feel confident you have all the essential race and children gear needed with the Racing with a Stroller – Race Day Checklist....

  By Stephanie Maziejka Touch. It means something different to each of us. It is nearly impossible to live life without touch. We touch and are touched every day. We hug when we are happy and we hug when we are sad. The same action can convey very different emotions. Yet in today’s society touch is almost taboo. The media covers stories of negative touch so frequently that in our minds touch is a bad thing. Touch has the power to transfer emotion and intent and we must learn when and what kind of touch is acceptable. My mission as a Massage Therapist is to educate about touch and its amazing benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. In my monthly posts, I will be discussing touch as it relates to different demographics and giving you tips on how to use and introduce touch to your family! Infant Massage is a great place to start talking about touch since the best way to ensure a healthy lifestyle is to introduce healthy habits at a young age! Infant Massage focuses on providing nurturing touch to promote bonding and attachment between you and your baby. An Infant Massage class or session is facilitated by a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (that’s me!) with parents being the ones to administer the massage strokes to baby.  The massage itself is compiled of techniques taken from Swedish massage, Indian Massage, Reflexology, and Yoga. In addition to the strokes Infant Massage teaches baby behavioral states and body cues to help parent’s better respond to their newborns. It is a lot more empowering as a parent to look at your little one and know he’s sleepy than to run through a checklist of a thousand possibilities as to why your sweet...

Since becoming a mom in 2010, starting this blog and Run Stroller Run (a stroller friendly race site), I’ve continually yearn to lead a healthy, happy, fit life not only for myself, but for my family.  I connected with Stephanie Maziejka, a NCBTMB certified and a CEIM under Infant Massage USA and a new mom herself, to learn more about the benefits of infant massage. The more and more I learn, the more and more I like to share with other parents. On a monthly basis, Stephanie will be contributing to LaraCoffee.com and Run Stroller Run, discussing touch as it relates to different demographics and giving parents tips on how to use and introduce touch to their family.  Stephanie’s first article will be the Importance of Touch; the Benefits of Infant Massage. Introducing Stephanie Maziejka Stephanie Maziejka is a massage enthusiast. She provides clinical massage at a gym during the week and teaches the art and science of massage therapy on the weekend at the National Massage Therapy Institute in Falls Church, VA. Believing it is never too early to begin a healthy lifestyle, she teaches infant massage and enjoys helping families to bond and benefit from nurturing healthy touch. Stephanie has recently become a mother herself and is getting to experience firsthand the joys and benefits of motherhood and massage. Stephanie has her BA in history and literature, her MS in Psychology and is National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) certified and a CEIM under Infant Massage USA. She is looking forward to writing about massage and wellness as it pertains to babies and families. She would love to hear from you, contact her directly. If you live in Northern Virginia, you can also stop by the Lifetime Fitness in...

  Before you set-up the grill, have a few beverages and watch the fireworks, start your 4th of July with a stroller friendly race. Here are family and stroller friendly races listed by State below. California Chili Chase 2013 Run San Ramon @ San Ramon Community Center Firecracker 5K/10K Greene’s Fastest 1 Mile Run & Fireworks Show Extravaganza Mayor’s 1 Mile & Firecracker 4 Mile  15% Discount Code: COFFEE Colorado Earn Your Independence 5K and 1 Mile Walk @ Boulder Reservoir USA 5K @ Bank of Colorado Georgia Firecracker 5K/10K for Henry County Special Olympics Georgia Front Runners Firecracker 5K/10K Indiana Independence Run/Walk @ Gas City Park Maryland OPA Freedom 5K @ South Gate Pond Nebraska 4th of July Fun Run 2013 New Jersey Pray For America 5K @ Cooper River Park New Mexico Smoke on the Water 5k @ 1st & Main St. North Dakota Veterans 4th of July 5K Run/Walk and 10 K Run  Oregon 4th of July Fun Run-Boardman @Former Boardman Chamber of Commerce location Flat Traffic Flat Funky Foot Race and Kids Boardwalk Dash South Carolina 4th Annual Independence Day 8K/5K/1 Mile @ The Market Common 27th Annual Easley Firecracker Frolic 5k @ Old Market Square 28th Annual Hilton Head Island Firecracker 5000 @ Jarvis Creek Park BORN IN THE U.S.A. 4 miles RUN/WALK @ Forest Acres Lake Texas Christoval Volunteer Fire Dept 5K @ Main Street Firecracker 5K & Fun Run The 24th Annual Baytown Bud Heat Wave 5 Mile Run Utah Barrus Memorial 5K @ Grantsville High School Centerville Utah July 4th Freedom Run Uncle Sam 5K @ Dixie Sunbowl Virginia Independence Day 5K @ Mt. Trashmore Family YMCA Let Freedom Run 5K & Kids Dash @ Fairfax Corner Shopping Center  Washington Edmonds 4th of July 5K Fun...

If you are still looking for a Father’s Day race to celebrate the dad’s in your life, here is a list of family and stroller friendly races for the weekend of June 15-16, 2013. Saturday, June 15, 2013 Alabama Chick-fil-A Connect Race Series:… @ Decatur Baptist Church California Color Blast 5K Run @ San Bernardino County fairgrounds in Victorville, CA Lincoln Center Father/Son Fun Run @ Fleet Feet Stockton District of Columbia Purple Stride Washington, DC Georgia 5 Alarm 5K @ Suwanee Towne Center Park Connect Race: Warner Robins, GA @ Southside Baptist Church 9th Annual Blake Gammill 10.5K, 5K, & 1-mile Run/WALK Illinois Run For Boston 5k NHRI 5K Walk/Run @ Busse Woods Elk Grove Village Dash with Dad Louisiana Race 2 Grace 5K, 10K @ Fair Park Baptist Church Missouri Steps & Strides 5K/10K @ Frontier Park, Jaycee Stage Hero Up 2nd Annual For The Children Run Nebraska Nebraska Land Road Run Nevada Las Vegas 5K for Heroes @ Sunset Regional Park New York Saratoga For Uganda-Annual Fairw… @ McGregor Fairways Corner of Fieldstone Dr and Autumn Ct North Carolina Dash for Dad @ Pine Valley Sam’s Club Children’s Miracle Network 5K and 1/2 Mile Kids Fun Run Hope for Haiti’s Children 5K/10K… @ Statesville Soccer Complex Oklahoma Footsteps of Faith 5k @ Sequoyah State Park South Carolina Firefighter’s for Fitness 5K @ Myrtle Beach Market Commons (please note part of this course is gravel!) Texas Playtri 5K & Kids Fun Run @ Playtri North Store Smiles for Life 5K @ Nelson Park Washington Strollin’ to Fight SIDS @ Newport High School Track   Sunday, June 16, 2013 – Father’s Day California Pleasanton Rotary Father’s Day Spirit Run @ Under the Arch in Downtown Pleasanton Florida I LOVE FATHER’S DAY 5K @...

If you have not signed up for a race for Mother’s Day weekend yet, we have more than 50 stroller friendly races listed thus far.  Give yourself a gift and run by yourself while your hubby pushes the stroller or just watches you race.  Get together with your favorite moms and go out and have some fun. The Mother’s Day weekend races are listed by State below. We will continue to add races for Mother’s Day weekend until Friday, May 10, 2013. Good luck and happy running. California CPOA Run To Remember Colorado Redline 13.1 Denver on Platte River Trail Stober Stallion 5K and 1K Fun Run Telegraph Mother’s Day 5K/10K District of Columbia Komen Global Race for the Cure BEST Kids 5K & Kids Fun Run Florida Chick-fil-A Connect Race Series: Jacksonville, FL Georgia Pickens Footsteps for Families 5K & Tot Trot Run Toward the Son 5K Illinois Race to Wrigley 5K Trot For Theresa 5K SMI 5K and Kids Run TheraCORE’s 5K Race for a Cure AERO Special Ed. Coop 4th Annual 5K Capitol Nutrition Pets for Vets 5K Feets of Strength 5K Run for Child Abuse Awareness Root Awakening 5K – Run/Walk for Forgotten Children Food Truck 5K and Block Party Kansas Mother’s Day 5K Kentucky Lourdes Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon & Relay Louisiana Contraband Days 5-Miler Junior League’s Etouffee 5K Al Briede Gold Cup Race 5k Run for Excellence Mom’s Day 5k​ Maryland Pasadena E.S 5k and 1M Fun Run Great Chesapeake Bay Wellness Race Stryker’s for a Cause 5K 2ND Annual Choptank Trot for Melanoma 5K Run/Walk Wood Acres JogFest Gospel of the 5K Run/Walk 5K Run/ 2K Fun Run Her5K Missouri 3rd Annual Love 2 Run 4 Love 5K Run/Walk 8th Annual Karen 4 a Kause 5K...

I normally do not announce a new page on my site via a blog post, but I wanted to share with you that you can now submit a Stroller Friendly Race via the Race Submission page.  If you know of a race that is stroller friendly or you think one might be – but not sure – I would encourage you to submit the Race Here. Once a submission is received, I will verify with the race director that the race is stroller friendly and then add it to the calendar and blog post. Please be patient. The race might not be added right away because it might take awhile for the race director to get back to me. So far, there are more than 1000 races throughout the United States that have been identified as Stroller Friendly and we have not even got through half the States.  Thank you for all your support in making the Stroller Friendly Race calendar comprehensive....

[category_specific_rss_menu] Although this is not a “race”, I was inspired to put Touch A Truck on the 2013 Stroller Friendly Race calendar where you can find the information on how to purchase tickets.  In addition, you can  download the Excel 2013 Stroller Friendly Race Calendar. Today, I was contacted by Melissa Mikulak of San Diego, California.  Melissa is a mom, the race director of Max Run, but also co-founder of a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization Max Ring of Fire that was founded in 2008 by her and her husband Andy.  The charity is a pediatric cancer fundraising and advocacy organization that supports innovative neuroblastoma research and clinical trials. Melissa and Andy started the foundation in honor of their late son Max.  Max was diagnosed with the disease at the age of three and battled hard against the disease for four years until the age of seven. I first reached out to Melissa because I heard from a mom that the Max Run is an awesome race that is family friendly and stroller friendly, but they did not have their 2013 date picked.  Melissa wrote back stating they don’t have a date set yet, but their next event Touch A Truck on June 8, 2013 in San Diego, California is very family friendly and of course stroller friendly. She asked me to add it to the calendar. How could I not?  I am a mom of two and my oldest is a little boy who is now three, same age as Max when he was diagnosed.  My heart was touched by Melissa, Andy and their son Max. I have added Tough A Truck on June 8, 2013 in from 10 AM – 3 PM in San Diego, California at Qualcomm Stadium to the calendar.  If you...

[category_specific_rss_menu] Updated as of June 18, 2013. Due to high demand, I have migrated all the stroller friendly races to an actual Stroller Friendly Race Calendar; whereby, you can search by state (categories) and race distance (tags) to see the races available.  Currently, there are more than 1000 races listed throughout the United States and on average, 20-30 races are added a week. ******************* January 11, 2013 Stroller friendly races are hard to find. While many races discourage or outright prohibit the use of jog strollers during the race, I have found several races that offer special start times to strollers, some that encourage all family participation or allow the strollers to start in the back.  As of 2012, I began developing a comprehensive list, but I never completed it, so I am trying again this year. Currently,  I have a fairly comprehensive list with more than 60 stroller friendly races in the following states; Virginia, Illinois, California (San Diego and working on San Francisco), Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri , Nebraska, North Carolina and Texas.  Furthermore, you will notice in the Excel document there are worksheets for every state. The Excel document is is alphabetical order by state and each state’s list is organized by date of the race, distance (5K, 10K, 4 miler, 1/2 marathon or other distance) and location. As you probably have found there is no one comprehensive list and/or website to go to that indicates races as stroller friendly. Sites such as Running in the USA, Active.com, or Runner’s World do not have a search filter for “jogging strollers”, so in order to find out if races are jog stroller friendly, you have to contact each individual race director. As you can well imagine this is a daunting...