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Onto autumnal running

Onto autumnal running

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Chicago had an unseasonably warm-ish (emphasis on the *ish*) day today, with our highs reaching low-to-mid 50s.  Most days lately have only seen 40s for the highs, so these extra few degrees are worth getting excited about.

This was also actually a perfect day to try out a birthday present I got, what I’m calling a cocoon for A to cuddle with (read: in) while we run together.  I’ve only been running with her since April, so we have yet to tackle the Chicago cold and wind together yet.  It’s no surprise that I adore cold-weather running, but I haven’t been certain about subjecting her to it… until now.

In other words, yes, I realize I’m a bit of a freak for enjoying winter running, but I don’t know if she’s picked up my freakish genes quite yet. 🙂

Anyway, the cocoon is basically this; think of it as a sleeping bag for kiddos that you can use in a stroller or in an infant carseat/carrier.  It fits perfectly in the BOB, and I’ve been looking forward to using it with A on a run.  (Of course, I didn’t think I’d be running with her right now, so soon after NYC, but whatev.  C’est la vie 😀 ).

Here are some pics C snapped today of A and me before we got out on our 6-mile run.  I eventually put her in her winter coat under the cocoon, but it was more because she sometimes likes to pull her legs out of the cocoon, and I wanted to make sure at least part of her was warm while we were out (sidenote: fortunately, aside from chucking her snack cup and lid while we were running, she kept it together).

Hooray for running! This is a good shot of the cocoon.

The other amazing birthday present was also for A and me while we run, and it’s basically a cover that is water- and wind-proof and that fits over the frame of the BOB.  You can zip it all the way up (so the kiddo can’t see a thing), or you can zip it down so the kiddo can see but has a plastic shield over her to block the wind.

I think the cover, combined with the cocoon, will ensure that A could go on pretty much any cold-weather run that I’d want her to accompany me.

We’re not messing around with this. It is super toasty in there

After our photo session with C, we finally got out for our run: a nice 6-mile run from home to Belmont Harbor along the lakefront.  My watch took a long time to detect the GPS before we got going, so here are a couple more pics I took as we were waiting to get movin.

The diddo and me, about to lay it down
Let’s get this party started, bitches

The verdict is in, and it’s in favor of the cocoon.  Well done.  We’ll see how the cover holds once it gets cold enough to warrant its use.  Until then, it’ll be all cocoon, all the time.

Greetings from the other side

Greetings from the other side

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Too funny that on May 3, I wrote “I must be especially virtuous these days,” referencing that Yoda’s due date was April 28, and as of the afternoon of May 3, I was still Yoda-less.

 

Little did I know that, after my Technical Writing class that evening, I would go home and go into labor.

 

Hence, my… um…. fourteen-week delay in blogging 🙂

 

Suffice it to say that I’ve ruminated a good amount in the past three-and-a-half-ish months, and of the fourteen weeks since little Alice’s birth (yes, Yoda was a Yolanda!), I’ve been running since I got the all-clear at my six-week postpartum check-up.  I have tried to be a bit conservative in my amateur comeback, but overall, I actually have been pretty pleased with how things have progressed.  At about twelve weeks postpartum, I did my first race, a little 5k back in Ohio, and I won my age group, which was a great confidence booster.  I’ve since registered for a 5 mile race, also back in Ohio, for Labor Day Monday, and since this will be my first time racing this distance, it’s an automatic PR.  Score.

 

More to come!