Had you told the puffy, seemingly ruined postpartum me that I'd run 13.1 miles 10 months after having a baby and live to tell about it, I'm not sure I would have believed you.
I started with the Couch to 5K program at 6 weeks postpartum and by June, I had signed up for the Inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon. Taking the plunge and just registering for the race was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Even though I was still struggling to run a full 3 miles at that time, I knew if I kept going I would make it to 13 miles.
And I did.
Crossing the finish line for my first half marathon was such a solidifying moment for me. The pride of that accomplishment meant more than fitting into my skinny jeans again. It meant I am strong and whole - that my formerly weak and wrecked postpartum body is now something amazing and powerful. It's not perfect, but I love it more now than I ever have before.
It was such a great weekend!
Lucas and I flew in to Phoenix and met the grandparents at Sky Harbor to fly to LA together.
On Saturday, we did Disneyland. It had been two years since my last visit, so I was pretty excited. Lucas was obviously too small for a lot of attractions, but he really enjoyed looking at everything on the kiddie rides.
Our first ride of the day was my favorite Fantasyland attraction - Peter Pan's Flight!
Monstro!
It was unseasonably warm with plenty of sunshine, so within an hour of entering the park, we were stripping layers off of Lucas and trying on hats at the Mad Hatter Hat Shop to cover up his bald little head.
Lucas had solidly hit the NO HATS! milestone, so keeping him distracted with the strap to try and keep his cute little hat on was the task of the day.
After getting outfitted with new headgear - a wide brim hat for Lucas and some sparkly Minnie ears for mama, we were off to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
Since we had detoured from our usual Bakke Family Disneyland Itinerary, we decided to head over to Pirates of the Caribbean next.
Lucas took his morning nap while we wound through line under the cool shade of New Orleans square.
I was a little nervous how he'd do on Pirates of the Caribbean since there are certainly moments that might be a little scary with noises and effects, but he did great!
I think Lucas' favorite ride was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. More than any other ride, Lucas spent the entire trip sitting up as alert as ever, darting his head back an fourth and pointing at everything. It was a lot of fun to watch him.
We had lunch at our favorite restaurant, the Hungry Bear.
Not long after lunch, we hopped on the monorail and headed over to the Disneyland Hotel to pick up my race packet and check out the expo. It was pretty exciting to get my bib number and check out all the gear and freebies. The tech shirts were really nice, as was the official merchandise... so yes, I bought a few totally necessary items!
We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours to let Lucas nap and stretch out and give my feet a rest. I think it was the first time I've left the park before closing, but we didn't mind being on a slower pace with the baby.
Saturday evening was filled with rides and fireworks, a pasta dinner, a little shopping and then back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was up, in my favorite running tights and shorts, shoes laced up, bib pinned on and ready to head to the race! I fear I may be spoiled and find any race I do going forward a complete drag because let me tell you, Disney knows how to put on an event. The pre-race entertainment, the fireworks at the start line, the mile marker entertainment and of course the finish line celebration were amazing. I got choked up a few times while running through the park, but I don't mind admitting to it - a Disneyland nerd running her first half marathon in the park is a perfect storm for sentimentality!
All my training paid off and I had a great run. As much as I feared my knees giving me trouble, they both held out great and my aching feet were my main complaint. I did a little bit of walking between mile 10 and 11 and I was slowing down by mile 12 as I tried to adjust the strike of my gait to alleviate some of the discomfort in my feet, but by the time the 13-mile mark was in sight, I felt like I had the wind with me and I perked up and charged ahead to finish the last .1 mile like a champ. I was hot and achy and my lips were chapped with salty sweat, but after that huge medal was placed around my neck, I couldn't help but beam with pride.
Back at the hotel, I took one of the top 3 most amazing showers of my life (the number 1 title goes to the first shower in the nasty hospital bathroom after I had Lucas!), re-hydrated, took a little nap and within a couple hours of my big finish, we were off to Disneyland again!
Lucas and I waiting for the shuttle - you can't tell, but I'm wearing my "Eat My Pixie Dust" shirt!
The rest of the evening I had my fill of popcorn and sour balls and pineapple whip without a shred of guilt because, dangit! I had just run 13.1 miles! (Don't worry, there was healthy real food in the mix also!)
Lucas enjoyed watching the ducks fight over fries during lunch!
After yet another spin on the Winnie the Pooh ride, we stopped to allow Lucas to model his custom knit Mickey ears that his Auntie Shannon sent him!
Napping again in line.
We hit the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Storybook Land, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Alice in Wonderland and swapped baby watching duty to ride Big Thunder a few times. Though I wouldn't have made a trip to Disneyland with a child as young as Lucas had it not been for the race, he really seemed to enjoy all the sights and sounds and I got such a kick out of watching him.
No trip to Disneyland is complete without a shopping stop at the Emporium on the way out! Grandma and Grandpa bought Lucas his first Mickey Mouse plush and he chewed on the nose the whole ride back to the hotel!
It was such a great weekend for so many reasons and I was glad to have my parents there, not only to help with Lucas and watch him during the race, but to be a part of a fun new Disney memory!
And a BIG thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for hauling their stroller, car seat, pack-n-play and even the extra foam to make the bed more cushy for our spoiled wee babe all the way from Arizona! I am a well-seasoned pack mule, but I couldn't have done all that without you!
January 27-30, 2012
