Yeah. I’m that New Yorker you hate with the giant jogging stroller. You’ll see green peppers and oranges rolling across your path just before my black and red Baby Jogger smashes your toe in narrow produce isles at grocerias. Or, you’ll wait for me to scrape through deli doorways as I push at yet another angle saying, “sorry, just a sec…” while you’re trying to exit with your beer and cigarettes. Asshole. I used to be allowed to smoke…
And you know what? I don’t care how much room my stroller takes up on the subway, or how long it takes to drag it up a staircase because my stroller is awesome. And besides, there is zero chance any other New Yorker is going to buy it off me on Craigslist so I’m keeping it until the bitter end. (I will say though, the big back wheels are great for going over city curbs, through puddles, and up and down stairs…wanna buy it??)
I bought the jogger when I lived in spacious and flat Chicago. I was going to lose all my baby weight by running! But instead we moved here. And we moved to the hilliest part of Manhattan and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually jogged with it.
Central Park Runners Loop - I like the lower 1.7 mile loop.
But things are changing. Due to the mild winter weather in NYC, I’ve actually been jogging with my stupid big jogging stroller, and I have a few things to say about it.
First, you will jog much slower with a stroller than by yourself. You’ll also jog slower because you probably haven’t run since before you had the baby, who is now a toddler, and well that’s just embarrassing, you really should be running by now if you bought a fucking jogging stroller!
Second, you can’t move your arms while you jog with a stroller because you’re holding on to the stroller. This might make things more uncomfortable if you’re like me and never really experience a runner’s high—just really uncomfortable shin splints and breathlessness because you’re RUNNING.
Third, if you’re jogging in New York, there are about 1000 places you can jog. Here are just a few I’ve explored recently:
Central Park: Excellent for a morning getaway on days where you don’t have playgroup, work, or preschool. Bonus: There are HORSIES along the path as well. Your kid will love the famous Central Park carriages.
Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters: For upper, upper
Manhattanites serious about running. I found this park, while the best park in the city for aesthetics and views, is a bitch for jogging with a stroller. Unless you are super human, the hills will kill you.
Upper Manhattan Greenway: The Greenway in upper Manhattan, at 181st street, is great on the weekends. I do not recommend jogging by yourself with baby during the week, kind of desolate, so team up with a mom buddy. The trail is long and flat and goes along the Hudson River for miles. Bonus: See the REAL Little Red Light House, featured in this classic children’s book, and the GW bridge.
Downtown West Side Greenway: Might be more crowded but perfect for a toddler and a jogging stroller. Your child can watch sailboats in the harbor and look at the Statue of Liberty while you burn some calories. There are also restaurants and playgrounds along the trail and plenty of places to rest in between bouts of jogging.
