The Morning Run(s)

I take Willa for a morning jog a couple of times a week.  It all depends on when she wakes up, sometimes I'm able to get in a run sans stroller before she wakes up, sometimes after and Ryan will watch her as he gets ready, sometimes I will take her with me in the early morning, or sometimes we drop Ryan off at the bus and then go on a run.  When we drop Ryan off at the bus, instead of going home we drive over by our church building because there are lots of really beautiful trails there.  It's a lot easier to take the stroller on beautiful trails than to try to dodge traffic and go up and down curbs.

Here is Willa before the run:

She's got a big smile.  I love this stroller!  It reclines so that she can get a nice snooze in while I'm working hard.  I don't think it's the most restful sleep, but she can't fight the vibrations and it gives her a little pick-me-up.  

 Here is a side view, riding in luxury! The sun canopy is so big, I love how it completely shades her; once I forgot the rain cover and it started to rain but baby was nice and dry under that canopy.  Check out the big, inflated wheels.  It's so much more pleasant for her because the bumps are smoothed out; even when we go on a walk at the park or somewhere close I will take her in this stroller because it's so much more comfortable. 

Do you see that little plastic opening on top?  It's a little peep hole so I can peek in and see how she is doing during the run.  

View of Willa through the peep hole, nice and safe - trying to eat her toy:

The neighboring town has amazing running trails all throughout.  

This is what it looks like at the start of one of the trails.  The trails go everywhere, but they aren't all connected like the Provo River Trail.  Basically, if you see a residential area you can pull over and you will find a trail opening pretty quickly.  It's pretty exciting to find out where the trail will end up once you hop on.  Isn't it pretty?

Lots of the trails go along big roads; those trails are nice because they are fairly straight and you know they will last a while.  However, if you take a chance and turn off onto a smaller trail sometimes you will get a good view of this, or this:

Isn't that so pleasant?  The lower photo reminds me of a trail we used to run on in Bloomington.  The unfortunate part is that these little vistas don't always last too long and then you sometimes end up just emptying out onto a street.  Still, you can't complain because these trails are awesome and if you do empty out onto a street there is another opening not too far away!  

The strange thing is that I hardly ever see people on these trails!  I used to think it was because people here were just lazy.  One Saturday morning my mom and I were on a beautiful section of trail and no one else was out!  Saturdays on the Provo River Trail were busier than the 405 at rush hour. Now I think that there are just so many miles of trail that the people are more spread out.  I've noticed that there are certain sections where I will see a lot of people and other sections where I will see none.  I always like looking for houses that are for sale close to these trails; it would be so nice to just walk out the door and be right there instead of having to drive.  Plus, they are in a great school district!

I like the privacy of the trails while having them still close to civilization.  Sometimes during my run, I wonder what I would do if I needed to take a little pit stop.  Are there sections of trail that are sufficiently shaded from the public eye where I could secret myself behind the stroller?  What sections am I least likely to be interrupted by another runner?  What are the shrubbery conditions most amenable to this?  Here is my surmise: chances of being interrupted by other joggers- very low; chances of being interrupted by chiggers- almost guaranteed. 

Willa, post run:

Ahh, all done.  She is very smiley because she's had a little catnap; if you look closely you can see that her hair gets a little windblown.  I'm not running that fast so this always surprises me; I wonder what she would look like if Ryan were at the wheel.  We love this stroller; it saves me when I need to get out but didn't get up early enough before Ryan goes to work!  A big thanks to Willa's Aunt Becca who gave it to Willa for Christmas!