My half marathon

One of my runner/mother/pregnancy goals is to run a marathon in between each kid. We will have to see if I am able to keep it up the more our family grows, but right now it's a perfect time to run and train! Once Bergen started sleeping through the night it was a lot easier for me to get up in the morning and run before Spencer went to work. I am really grateful for a healthy body and supportive husband! He gets the girls breakfast each morning and holds down the fort for an hour while I run before he goes off to work. Each Saturday he also gets the girls what they need in the morning while I go on my long runs. I usually have to wake up extra early on Saturday morning to pump so Spencer has milk to give to Bergen, but this helps me leave before anyone is up so I am not gone as long. I love running. I really do, which may sound weird but it makes me happy. It helps my day go so much smoother and I am a more happy, patient person when I am able to exercise in the morning. So back to training. I started training for this half marathon when Bergen was just over 2 months old. I started out really slow, but week by week tried to get faster and train harder. It's amazing what our bodies can do. Spencer would massage out my knees which have been giving my some trouble, but luckily I was able to run this race mostly pain free.
My friend Sharra texted a few friends and asked if we wanted to run this race and we were all in, so we all started signing up and getting ready for it. I would usually run my long Saturday runs with my friend Lizzie (who I also trained for Boston with). It was fun to train and get back into shape after baby. The runs go by so much quicker when you have a friend to run with!
So race day, I got up at 5:30am, pumped milk for Bergen and walked up to the start which was only a few blocks from our house. Luckily it wasn't too cold outside either! I ate a banana and some granola on the way, went to the bathroom in a nearby park (yes runners are weird like that) and went to my corral number. The race didn't end up starting on time so I had lots of time to stretch and get my nerves out. The race went perfect! I am amazed at how well I was able to run and the weather was a beautiful autumn crisp day! Spencer came with the girls and cheered me on as well which helped. He was able to see me at 4 different spots! The first time I saw him, I was surprised because he didn't tell me he was going to be at that marker point! Charley and Bergen were good sports and Charley had a little cowbell that she rang while I ran by and would yell, "Go Mads"! I ran the half in an hour and 36 minutes which came out to be a 7:19 min. per mile pace. I was really happy with my time and that I was able to run! My friends did awesome as well and Sharra PR'd which is amazing!
We all met up afterward and drank chocolate milk and re-fueled our bodies. I fed Bergen right away since she was starving and we laid out at the park and got to stretch and relax for a while.
Maybe we will make this a yearly half since it was so much fun!! Yay for running and my amazing husband for being the best fan ever!!