On March 25, 2017, C and I ran the Skidaway Island Half Marathon that took place on Skidaway Island near Savannah, GA. This was my 9th half and C’s first. C, being only 4 years old, was obviously not a registered runner but she did run part of the race and she ran across the finish line so it certainly counts as her first half marathon experience!
I chose to run this half marathon because the timing was right and it allowed jogging strollers which meant I could run with C instead of bringing someone along to watch her. Also, the course was completely flat so if I was going to run a race with a stroller, this was the place to do it.
I did not train with a stroller for this race. In fact, I had not run with a stroller in years. That was a mistake. I completely underestimated how much more effort and energy it would require to run 13.1 miles pushing a 4-year-old in a stroller. I will never run a half marathon pushing a stroller again but I’m really glad that I did it and that C got to experience it and participate in it!
This race just so happened to line up perfectly with the start of C’s spring break week from school so we made it the kick-off event of our stellar spring break road trip. We drove to Savannah on a Friday afternoon, picked up my race number, ate dinner, and went to bed early. On Sunday, we had to wake up very early but thankfully C was a champ about it. We left the hotel at 5:50am and drove 25 minutes to the start of the race.
We have a BOB jogging stroller which is easy to push when the tires are fully inflated. C was comfortable with a sweatshirt, small blanket, multiple snacks, a water bottle, a fully-charged iPad, and headphones.
Since I was pushing the stroller and didn’t have to carry anything on my body, I was able to take a large bottle of water, snacks, and my phone. I wore arm sleeves for the first couple of miles until I warmed up and then they got stashed in the stroller as well.
The race started at 7am, just as it was getting light outside. Based on the race photos of previous years, I thought there would be a few more strollers. Surprisingly, there was only one other stroller in the race which was pushed by a couple taking turns.
I ran the first four miles and felt great! C was not encouraging at all; she kept telling me that I was running too slow and that we were losing. This was because she couldn’t see any of the people behind us and was therefore convinced that we were in last place. I laughed about it and told her she should be cheering me on!
At mile 4, I wanted to start a walk/run pattern, but every single time I slowed down to walk, C wanted to get out and run which meant I had to run to keep up with her. She got out to run seven times within a three mile stretch and ran about a 1/4 mile each time. I was excited and proud that she wanted to run and gladly accepted the welcome break of pushing the lighter stroller without her in it.
C got a lot of attention and encouragement from other runners while she was running. She loved it and was so proud of herself and her running ability.
Because of C running, I ran pretty much all of the first 7 miles. After that, C was content to stay in the stroller so I was able to do walk/run pattern until mile 11. I was fatigued. Pushing a stroller with a 36 pound child, plus everything else we had in it, required a lot of extra effort. It was so much tougher than I thought it would be but I’m sure that also has something to do with my bad habit of not actually training for races…
I also wasn’t prepared with the right fuel for this race. Your body uses carbohydrates/glycogen as its primary fuel when running. When we use up the limited about our body has stored, it needs replenished to keep you going strong. Energy gels are specially formulated to replenish that glycogen. I couldn’t find the specific energy gels that I wanted for the race and I didn’t order any online in time, so I just brought applesauce pouches and raisins instead. That may have been an adequate substitute if I had a lot more of them with me. The amount I brought was not nearly enough, especially since I had to share some with C.
At mile 11 my right calf started cramping with short, painful charley horse spasms. I never experienced that before while running before so I knew I was overexerted.
Also at mile 11, C had to pee. We were on a long straight stretch of road with no potties in sight so we pulled over and I helped her squat and pee in the grass. There were no cars in coming in either direction when we pulled over but then of course a long line of cars appeared once we got started. We got a few honks and a lot of laughs but we had to do what we had to do!
When I stopped running and bent over to help C pee, all of the muscles in my body started shaking. I started run/walking again but by mile 11.5 the cramping in my calf was almost constant so I stopped running and just walked, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to run across the finish line if I kept pushing myself. I walked from mile 11.5 to mile 13. We got a lot of honks and encouraging shouts from passing cars, which was uplifting.
When the finish line was in sight, I pushed the stroller off to the side of the road so that C and I could finish the race together without it. It was so much fun crossing the finish line with her running beside me!
After getting my medal and grabbing some post-race snacks and water, I stopped at a medical tent and got a bag of ice wrapped to my calf. Surprisingly, I was not sore for the rest of the day and was only mildly sore the day after. The human body is amazes me sometimes.
The Skidaway Half was a nice race to run. It was small, with only 351 people this year. The first and the last 2.7 miles of the course was on the same stretch of road which was straight and boring with trees on both sides and car traffic to deal with, but the rest of the race course was beautiful as it followed paths and roads past a scenic golf course, quaint houses, and some marshland. There were encouraging volunteers and some water stations along the course, and there were plenty of snacks at the end.
I hope this race is something that C will remember and that experiences like this will encourage her to live a healthy, fit lifestyle. I would love for her to run a half marathon with her own bib number someday!
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“Our children are watching how we live far more
than they are hearing what we say. They are learning
how to live by our choices, not by our words.”
~L.R.Knost