Races!

Yes, I said raceS.

I've run 4 races since the bean was born. 3 I ran. 2 I ran with the bean. He always beats me!

Surf City 5K was the first. I blogged about it, so we'll skip it.

OC Marathon 5K (yeah, I know) was the second. I was talked into this one. It was in Costa Mesa and Penny was running the 1/2. We planned to meet up with Glenn and get breakfast. Both of them strongly suggested I run the 5K. I figured it would be a good way to kill time, so I decided to sign up. Two days before the race. At the time, it was the latest I had decided to run a race. Usually, being the planner I am, my races are scheduled months in advance. Seriously.

This was my first postpartum "race". It was hard. I took the stroller, and like a good mom, lined up in back. With the walkers. I think I spent most of my first mile dodging the walkers. Some of them were more accommodating than others. In the end, my first race back was slower than my first race ever, but it was awesome none the less. The bean was awesome. Grumbled a bit, but slept most of the way.

Ave of the Vines 5K was next. My awesome friend Rachel decided to run the 1/2. I had wanted to visit the fam up in Northern Cali and hadn't picked a week. So it was easy to plan my visit around the race. The bean didn't join me on this one. He was at his grandpa's house, visiting with his great grandparents.

I finished faster, although the first mile felt weird without the stroller to push. It also felt weird because I couldn't catch my breath. I chalk it up to running in the San Joaquin valley, through the vineyards of Lodi, and all that pollen/mold.

The most recent, Saddleback Community 5K, was the latest I'd ever decided to sign up for a race. I volunteered to work the registration table with my little man. I caught up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, or who hadn't met the bean. (He was a hit, as always.) I figured I'd go out and cheer on the Duathlon racers. They convinced me to run the 5K. Why not? It's close to the house, I could walk down, run a short 5K, cheer peeps on, then walk back home. So I signed up. At about 5:30pm the day before the race.

Turned out great. It wasn't a chipped race. We showed up late, but still ran. I'm pretty surer we were faster than the OC Marathon 5K, but with no chip time and a bit of a watch malfunction (ran into friends at the finish line and I forgot to stop it) I can't be sure. I think I shaved at least 30 seconds off our time. AND THERE WERE HILLS. Well, one hill. You ran down in first.

All in all, I walk/ran about 6 miles today. Pushing a stroller. With a 15+ lb child.

I had a great time.