Springing forward

Workout: 2.26-mile run and upper body set with 10-pound weights

I didn’t really want to run today.

Thunder shook the house and rain teemed in the early morning (think 4 a.m.), and the sky looked as if it could open up at any time. I am no longer a bad@ss, and the thought of running in the rain did not seem like fun. The weather was a balmy 65 degrees – a temperature I haven’t seen for a run in quite some time (think September/October) – and I wasn’t sure how I’d fare.

But I knew that I needed to run.

I hadn’t been out since Thursday, and the most I did this weekend was walk and weed my grandma’s flower beds. Denali was manic for exercise, only getting a short walk last night after being in the kennel for the weekend.

I grabbed my Garmin and got dressed, putting on what fit -- a cotton tank ala Old Navy and an old pair of shorts and by old, I mean they are a size XL. Even pregnant, I look like I’m wearing a diaper.

Denali and I set out toward the greenway so that we could run through one of the nearby parks and back to the neighborhood. I was a bit afraid that the course would be long given my recent 2.75-mile cap but I was disappointed to discover that it was actually on the short side. Especially because I was feeling good, relatively speaking. The air was nice and the cloud cover meant it wasn’t too bad. Again, my legs felt great. As I was in the last quarter-mile (as if that counts on such a short run), I had a flashback to pre-preggo running.

With that said, I will mention that in the first quarter-mile or so I was very aware that I was pregnant. There was no strain or discomfort per se but I could sense the growing belly. It seems I might need to break down and get a pregnancy support band. I’m sure it will pair well with my diaper shorts.

Upon returning home (energized and satisfied, I must say), nature rewarded me with this:

The first bud in the yard. A beautiful, beautiful tulip – one of my favorites.