The Hill

There's a hill out of my neighborhood that is about a little over a quarter mile long. And it is pretty steep. There's no avoiding it, and it is right at the beginning of the run. So when I was pregnant I would tell myself as long as I could still run up that hill, I was still normal. A few times at the end I just ran up the hill and then walked back home... just to trick my mind into thinking I was still somewhat normal and not a couch-ridden, enormous invalid like I felt.

This morning I met my girlfriend for another attempt at a 3 mile run. HARD! SO HARD! Much harder than Saturday and gosh darnit, I'm going to blame it on a combination of that hill and my bad attitude. That hill just kicks you into high gear 2 seconds into your run. Then you feel the effects of it for the rest of the run! I honestly felt more out of shape today then I did running 39 weeks pregnant.

I've used this hill to somewhat gauge my level of fitness... some mornings Kate and I would run up at a sub 8 minute pace chatting the whole way, and other mornings like this one, I chugged up at over a 10 minute pace and then promptly stopped at the top, bent over with my head between my legs to ease the dizziness, and nearly vomited. True story.

Here is what's frustrating... I feel like since my belly is (mostly) gone I should be able to pick up where I left off running-wise. Okay maybe not exactly where I left off, but shouldn't it at least be a LITTLE easier to run without having a 15+ pound uterus sitting on my pelvis (or wherever it sits). Right??

This is me just being a whiner. I know over time it will get better, that hill will become less daunting, I'll be able to make a meal from start to finish without burning something, and I might even sleep again and improve my morning moods :) Ahh, one day.