Touch A Truck A Family Friendly Event...

[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...

2012 Stroller Friendly Races Jan17

2012 Stroller Friendly Races...

[category_specific_rss_menu] *Updated April 22, 2013 For a comprehensive list of 2013 & 2014 stroller friendly races, please see the Stroller Friendly Race Calendar.  We currently have more than 1000 races listed and adding approximately 20 races weekly. *********** January 17, 2012 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 and some that encourage all family participation. Although, in search of stroller friendly races, I have not found one comprehensive list anywhere. 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 task, especially for parents who are trying to plan out their race schedules for the year.  Don’t get me wrong, I do plenty of races sans jog stroller – my husband and I switch of race days or get someone to watch our son – but, there are times it is nice to bring him to “race”.  As you know, for whatever reason, not all parents have the luxury of having someone else watch their child, so racing without them is not an option. One note:  I do encourage anyone racing with a jog stroller to abide by Jog Stroller Racing Etiquette. This is very important not only for the safety of you and your baby, but also for the other runners. I began doing research on stroller friendly races and reaching out to the race directors of each race so I can develop a 2012 stroller friendly...

The Ultimate Gift Bag/Basket for Running Moms (Dads too) Dec09

The Ultimate Gift Bag/Basket for Running Moms (Dads too)...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] For those of you on a budget, but with a bit of time and energy, here are some ideas items to include in an Ultimate Gift Bag for Running Moms (and Dads too) that you can throw together online or with a short trip to your local sports store. Depending on  how much money you want to spend The Ultimate Gift Bag for Running Moms (and Dads too) can cost you as little as $50. Of course, if Santa is feeling generous, you can always add something from the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs or the 10 Great Stocking Stuffer for Running Moms. 1.  Bag/Basket You can purchase a relatively inexpensive basket from Target, craft store, Amazon, etc. However, if you are interested in your running, multisport mom or dad using it for multiple uses, consider purchasing a duffel bag, swim, sling or transition bag to put all your items in. You can purchase a relatively inexpensive transition bag for $49.99 or a mesh sling bag for $14.95. 2.  Body Glide, Lansinoh Nipple Cream, and/or Aquaphor – to prevent chaffing, also great for prevent blistering. Body Glide ($8.95) can be bought online or purchased at any local running store; it is good to prevent chaffing. Lansinoh Nipple Cream ($27.85) is not only great for breastfeeding moms, but it works just as well as and perhaps better than Body Glide to prevent chaffing, plus it is great lip balm and prevents feet from blistering. Aquaphor ($7.99) is multi-purpose ointment as well. It is great to prevent chaffing, body cream for babies and toddlers, and great lip protection and prevent your feet from blistering. I have used all three; I am partial to Aquaphor, then Lansinoh Nipple Cream and...

10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs Dec07

10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs...

  [category_specific_rss_menu] Are you feeling uncertain what to buy that special running, mom or woman in your life?  Perhaps, you are running out of time as well.  With the help of other running moms, here are the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts for Running Moms.  This is part two to my series on great gifts for active moms that focuses on the necessities running moms around the country have weighed in on. The items on this list are more expensive items than you will find on my 10 Great Stocking Stuffer for Running Moms.  I organized the 10 Must Have Holiday Gifts That Every Running Mom Needs into four categories: Running Watch, Motivation, Fashion, and Accomplishments.   RUNNING WATCH 1.  Garmin Forerunner® 310XT ($349.99 basic unit w/out the HR monitor; $399 w/HR monitor) This watch is great for both runners and triathletes alike. To me this is the mega of all watches, but of course that depends on what you are looking for in a watch. I am a triathlete and runner, so I wanted a watch that was able to track all three sports. However, I have definitely not used this watch to its full potential. Some key features that are especially important for runners are the 20 hour battery, GPS features, Heart Rate Monitor; and Run, Sync, and Store features. Depending on how much you budgeted for your special running mom or lady in your life, this might be more than you are willing to spend.  However, if you are truly wanted to make her feel special and show her how much you support her running or triathlon habit, this might be the gift for you. The Garmin Forerunner 310XT basic unit without the heart rate monitor is $349 and with the...

Trike Bike National Championship – Go Team Z Jul20

Trike Bike National Championship – Go Team Z...

  Family road trip to the Finger Lakes of NY for a triathlon weekend with Team Z. My hubby and I really enjoyed Musselman weekend last year, so we ensured that we put it on the calendar for this year. We left early on Friday morning for our 7 hour road trip because we had to ensure I registered for my race on Saturday, but most important that my husbnad could register for the Trike bike national champions that took place on Friday evening. Yes, I said Trike bike. We searched for about a week to borrow a Big Wheel or a Trike bike for my husband to borrow, but unfortunately we do not have friends that still own Trike bikes. So Thursday evening, hubby headed to Target and bought an original Big Wheel.  Once hubby put it together and C2 got wind of it, he was beside himself. Hubby told C2, “If Daddy does not break it, it is definitely yours.” We made it just in time for Hubby to register for the race, get to the hotel and get prepared for the Trike Bike nationals (Swim 100 yards, Trike Bike 0.6 miles, and Run 0.2 miles). We arrived at the race site, the race was taken place at 7:00 PM. Racers brought their costumes and Trike bikes; what a scene. C2 and another future Team Z’er P. (18 mos. old) were so excited to see all these bikes that they believed were for them.   C2 had a blast playing with them until they called time for the race to start then C2 had a minor melt down because Daddy took his “bike” away. The rules for the bike; a helmet was required and the racers bottoms had to stay on the seats...