12 months / 12 miles

 * Baby's first birthday. Yesterday we celebrated Baby's first birthday. The entire day was a blast - family, friends, fabulous food, fun (sparkling) beverages, LOTS of presents, a happy one year old birthday girl, and last, but not least, some running. 

 * A successful 12 miler. I'd been planning on doing a twelver on Baby's first birthday (12 months / 12 miles) for a while now, but I wasn't sure if it would work out with my injury fears. Since the big fall, I took off an entire week and then eased back into the running. After an easy three last Sunday, I upped it to five on Tuesday, did another 5.5 on Thursday and then had a very successful seven on Friday. By Easter Sunday I was pretty confident about things and went out for a tempo four miler that morning. I held 8:30s with ease and then unofficially declared myself free of injury and made the decision to resume training. So that meant the 12 miler on the tenth was back in business!

I have to admit, I was so excited about April 10th this year. Last year, it was the most memorable day of my life, and I just couldn't wait to celebrate Baby's first birthday. We had a big party planned for the afternoon, and of course, my run. Luckily, my mom understands my need to celebrate EVERYTHING with a run, so she came over to hang with Baby while I headed out (THANK YOU, MOM!! YOU'RE THE BEST!) After singing "happy birthday" to Baby like a hundred times that morning, I guzzled some coffee, dressed for the coldish weather (like 30's) and headed out the door. Even in the best conditions, a twelve miler can seem taxing. But yesterday, it was smooth sailing. I don't know where the miles went, but the time flew by. I thought about being in the hospital last year - the pain I felt while in labor, "watching" the masters on TV, the nagging uncertainty of childbirth, the pain I felt while in labor, the silly rule that you can't eat anything during labor (I was SO hungry!), the excitement about meeting my baby, the phone calls, texts and emails that kept me distracted from feeling the pain of labor, the joy of finally holding my baby after it was all over. I could go on and on. And perhaps this is why the run was so easy. I mentally relived nearly every aspect of that day while my legs just flew over the roads. I wasn't going fast (9:30 or so), but it felt effortless. If ever there was a run that brought refreshment, relaxation and a renewed sense of clarity, this was it. When I returned home, I was so ready to get my party on (as much as one's party can be gotten on with a bunch of one year old guests ;)) 

 * A big party followed. I never expected to have so much fun at a kid party, but this one was fabulous! I think Baby enjoyed herself, too, which is very important. Here are a couple snapshots of her amidst all the chaos. 

Pre-party

At the start

Mid party

the whole traditional hat/song/cake thing

Post Party

 * More details to come. Details are all above. Re: running, I am feeling just fine. I occasionally have some twinges in the hammie, but another week of strengthening exercises, stretching, and rolling will likely restore me to normal. Good thing I have a "helper" for the foam rolling ;) 

Today (april 11)  I went for a shake-out three mile run, which felt just right. No soreness, just some tired muscles and a bit of a fuzzy head. I'll take it!