Oh, this is MY body!

Today I went to the gym for the first time post-pregancy. Thankfully a friend of ours volunteered to watch the Bean for 45 minutes while I hit the law school gym. Many things ran through my head while on the treadmill. Here is a selection in no particular order:

*Oh wow I need a different sports bra. This one that has been holding the big girls up while hanging out around the house is NOT gonna do it for running. I miss the little girls. I hope they come back some day.

*Holy crap. This running business is difficult. Wait, nothing is harder than birthing a baby. I can do this!

*Well, I CAN do this, but I don't HAVE to do this. I HAD to birth the Bean.

*Hey, my legs are moving and my arms are swinging. I'm not carrying a baby. This is just all me working here. This feels great!

Most of all it felt great to have my body all to myself for a few minutes. So much of being pregnant and nursing is about being a vehicle for what your baby needs. It was a breath of fresh air to return to something that was about my body working for me. Don't get me wrong, I certainly love being able to give the Bean what she needs; I also love a 45 minute break from it.

Baby aside, I have a lot of work to do in the running department. It wasn't quite as bad as when I first started to run. Although it might be, but now I know what my body is capable of and I know that this lack of fitness is only temporary. It is actually pretty exciting to be at ground zero again and have to work my way back up. I probably won't be running a marathon anytime soon, but there is certainly a 5k with my name all over it!

(Finishing a half-marathon in May 2009)