And it Only Took 15 Weeks!

Today I had a near perfect day with Charlie. Our day contained very little crying, lots of smiles, cooing and even a few almost giggles. She is very close to an all out laugh but is not quite there. The best part of the day was that I was able to run on the treadmill downstairs while she napped upstairs.

I put her down for a nap, quickly changed into my running clothes, grabbed my iPod, and hopped on the treadmill. I was able to run for a full FOUR minutes before she woke up. In the past this would have made me anxious and stressed. But I knew she was tired so I went back up stairs, got her back to sleep and was able to finish my workout.

This routine is something I've dreamt about since we brought her home. I naively thought this was something I would be able to do by the time Charlie was 6 weeks. Oh how foolish I was! Even though it took a little longer to get her into somewhat of a routine, things are really coming together with this whole baby thing.

Today is the first day of the 100 Runs in 100 Days Challenge my triathlon club is doing. I signed up for the silver level which means I am shooting for 80 runs in 100 days. The run just has to be 20 minutes. It is meant to maintain some kind of training base throughout the winter. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to lose the rest of the baby weight too!

It has taken me a bit to get into running again but I still love it. I did a 5k on Thanksgiving morning while Adam and Charlie did the 1 mile fun run/walk. It was a good run for me even though I was beat by a 7 year old girl! This Saturday I am doing a 5 mile run in Baltimore. I haven't run more than 3 miles since having Charlie so Saturday should be interesting. A lot of people from the triathlon club is doing the race so it will be a lot of fun.

Here is a picture of Charlie from today. She is growing like a weed!

For Adam's Grandmother

This past Saturday I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon. I had originally planned to run the full marathon but for a variety of reasons I decided just to run the half. It was a beautiful day for a run. This was the first time that I've run a half by myself. Usually there are other people I know who I run with. But this time I ran by myself and it was a special experience.

Unfortunately on Wednesday morning Adam's 88 year old grandmother passed away. She lived with Adam's parents so we saw her almost every weekend. In fact, I had beer and pizza with her on Sunday. So I ran this race for her. I imagined her in heaven with her husband and with my grandparents and other loved ones I have lost. It was so nice to think of all of them at peace.

While I ran I also thought of how supportive she was of my hobby: triathlons. While Adam and I are very blessed with our support network there are some people who don't quite understand why we do what we do. Some think we are crazy; others think we are causing damage to our body. Not Adam's grandmother. Never once did she question us. She was so supportive and was always eager to hear about our adventures. I still remember as we were leaving for the Ragnar Relay she told us, "Don't blow up!" I thought that was so cute.

As everyone grieves in their own way this was my way of paying respect to Adam's grandmother and allowing me to think of all the great times we spent with her over the past three years. I am so thankful for the time I was able to share with her.