Newfound freedom

It has been so long since I last wrote anything other than work-related text that whatever narrative ability I ever had has completely atrophied. Finally, I bring fingers to keyboard to celebrate my latest and now favorite running gadget, in fact I love it so much, I took a double. Thing1 and Thing 2, your Chariot awaits (your 2007 CX2 Chariot that is...)

I love the chariot for many reasons (and apparently I love it way more than Thing 2 does in this photo). First off, despite being almost 7 years old (purchased second hand), it rolls like a dream. On flat, even ground there is barely any percpetible extra effort over running alone. The only real increase in effort comes from not being able to swing my arms and not from the actual pushing of the chariot. And even then, the chariot rolls so straight that I find I often give it a firm push and run for a few strides behind it without even touching it. Or, sometimes to the kids dismay, I give it a push and then pick up my pace and run in front of it waving cheerfully at them.

From an assembly/disassembly standpoint, it is super easy even for a klutz like me. I did not watch the previous owner disassemble it and yet I was able to put it together, without instructions, in under 2 minutes. The quality of manufacturing is very apparent in the way the pieces are constructed and fit together. Fully disassembled, it takes less room than I expected. We easily fit it into the trunk of our Hyundai Elantra Touring with room to spare for other items. I had always assumed that if I ever did take the plunge into the double running stroller world, I would not be able to use it as a means of transport for the kids to daycare simply because it would consume too much real estate in the small sized storage room our daycare has to offer for strollers. I am actually feeling optimistic that I will be able to store the CX2 there after all without annoying too many people.

It is also worth mentioning the storage space; there is ample storage space behind the children though overloading it does mean the items will press into the passengers backs.

And the reason I love the CX 2 the most; here is what transpires within the first 5 minutes of the run:

Ok, so one out of two isn't bad... and the one who isn't asleep is still awfully happy. Which kind of highlights the one major drawback. The passengers cannot recline in the Chariot which makes my primary purpose for this stroller somewhat awkward; I was hoping to use it at night to put both chlidren to sleep while ALSO getting my run in. Thing 1, who can sometimes be a tough nut to crack, is clearly demonstrating above that the lack of a proper business class lie-flat seat might mean sleeping by stroller is not feasible.

Overall though I am hoping that having the CX2 in our lives will mean using the car less and therefore reducing our environmental footprint and saving on gas and wear and tear on our 2009 Elantra Touring. In return I hope to increase the mileage on the 1974 PiccolaPineCone because she is in a sorry state of unfit these days...