13.1

Dylan was born 9 months and 11 days ago, and today I ran a half-marathon!  I know people have run farther sooner (and faster!), but I am really proud of myself this evening.  Not only did I run the whole thing (I had to walk a little during my first half in 2005), but I finished under my goal and ran it in 2:14:33.  I'm still much closer to the tortise than the hare, but I made some progress and just feel so thrilled about the whole experience.

Part of the reason that I'm over the moon about this is that I made it through the training, which is an interesting thing about distance running.  The training is the tough part - staying motivated, running when you'd rather do a million other things, trying to stay patient and uninjured.  I made the decision to do the half-marathon before Dylan was even born, so I've basically been training for it since I was given the ok to run after my c-section (8 weeks.) 

There were times over the past 7 months when I doubted my ability to complete the training; there were nights when I didn't feel like hitting the treadmill and Saturday mornings when I would have rather stayed in my pajamas. 

Yet, once I lace up my shoes, I remember why running is the one workout I stick with over the years; it calms me down and keeps me centered, much in the way that yoga does for a lot of people.  I like the rhythm of my pounding feet, the music on my iPod, the time alone with my thoughts, and the way I feel when I run a little longer or a little faster than I have in the past.

Today was a perfect day for a run.  It was sunny and slightly cool, with little wind (except a bit by the water).  I tried to take in everything as I ran - seeing the sky lighten to day over the Ambassador Bridge, the funny t-shirts on the runners around me, the Detroit skyline over the river, the American flag welcoming us back to the US in the tunnel.  Seeing Ryan cheering me on gave me the boost I needed when things started to get a little painful towards the end.

I'm not going to lie and say it was easy; I ran hard and my body immediately hurt when I was finished.  But trust got me through the difficult parts today.  I trusted my training.  I trusted my plan.  I trusted myself.

So, hooray me! (and tomorrow we'll be back to cute pictures of the kids)

waiting to start 

I know it's not a very good picture

that's why there aren't a lot of pictures of me on here!

I'm the short one in the white 

back at the car 

one last hooray for me!