A Triumphant Return

The photo above is when I was in the best shape of my life.  It was two years ago and  I had just finished a ten mile run along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  Since I got pregnant at the beginning of the year, my running and fitness have kind of taken a hiatus.  I did walk quite a bit during my pregnancy, but let's face it, walking isn't the same as running.

It was really difficult for me to accept that I would not be running for awhile.  I would past people jogging on the bike path and I wanted to yell out to them, "I'm a runner too, I just have to walk right now."  I know it made no difference to these people what I was doing, but to me I felt walking made me look as though I was too out of shape to run.  I struggled with this for many months.  Running was a huge part of my life and now that piece was temporarily missing.  Combine that with my expanding waistline and the scale numbers rapidly increasing and you get one sad chick-a-dee!

Every so often I would try a slow jog, but I was never able to go very long.  As I got bigger the baby pushed up on my lungs and the extra weight put too much pressure on my joints.  I slowly watched the muscle definition in my legs turn to cellulite and finally accepted running was not an option until after the baby was born.

Well it's been almost five weeks since Baby J popped out.  I thought I would be running home from the hospital that day.  Once again I was wrong.  Walking to the mailbox was hard enough, but running?  I wasn't even close.  Would I ever be able to run again?  And what would it be like when I was able to return to it?

Yesterday I got my answers.  I went for my first real run in almost a year and it was FANTASTIC!  Now keep in mind it wasn't the get up and go I use to do.  Before heading out the door I had to pump because Jim needed something to feed the baby when he woke up from his nap, and I didn't need to experience running down the road with two engorged boobs.  I also had to put on an extra sports bra for that now needed support.  Despite the minor inconveniences, I was able to run, without walking, a wonderful 2 miles along the American River bike trail.

I ran slow, and by slow I mean SSSLLLOOWW!  Those last few pounds could be felt jiggling and there were many aches and pains that came up along the way, but I did it.  I didn't even mind that everyone was passing me (well that's not true, I did mind, but there was no way my legs were going any faster).  I'm not sure how long it took because the battery died on my GPS, but it doesn't even matter.  As George Costanza once said, "I'm back Baby!"

This morning my legs, especially my quads, were sore but it was the soreness of accomplishment.  I can't wait for my next run.  Once Baby J gets a little bigger I'll be able to take him along in the jogging stroller.  I'm excited for that day.  So here's to a great run and many more to come!