One Reflecting Running Mother

I can hardly believe it. Our youngest is four years old today. To absorb that hard-to-believe fact (and to work off one of the four slices of double chocolate football birthday cake I devoured this weekend), I decided to go on a four-mile run--the longest my aging ankle has allowed in awhile. Hey, I figured it couldn't have hurt any worse than the five days of labor the docs were trying to hold off to keep my son from arriving too early exactly four years ago. A notion a bit funny in hindsight . . . a pack of health professionals and a tractor trailer full of drugs, both trying to tell 6.1 pounds of fury to wait a few more weeks, or c'mon, at least a couple of days, before making his official appearance. And I was stuck in the middle only to ref the futile fiasco. (Guess you know who won that uphill battle, huh?)

One of the thoughts I had while schlepping up the hill and dodging pickups was how similar the birthing process and the act of jogging can be. Both involve pain--obviously. Whether they use that large can opener to pop out your little cherub or you get the good fortune to push the little nipper out "down there," the pain is very present.

And when running if you choose to crank out your miles on the treadmill to avoid angry drivers or you select an outdoor route, the bubbling blisters, chafed nipples, torqued knees, and brutal butt sweat will always be your chummiest exercise buddies. Again with the pain.

But thankfully, as in most things in life where there is labor, there is reward. Of course, there's the initial look from your little one, precious cuddles, the smile, the cute yellow poop, all of those glorious firsts. The list of payoffs is way too long for one blog entry.

While the running benefits can't quite compare to the joy of your new child, there is something simply amazing, truly beautiful, completely incredible, absolutely awesome about getting to eat virtually as many Little Debbies as you want when you are on a regular running regimen.

So happy birthday, my sweet baby boy. This cupcake's for you!