Happy birthday to me =)

A few weeks ago my birthday came and went. My family, not ones to forget marking the occasion, was gracious enough to gift me some $. So, what to do with my new windfall? Why running-related things, of course!

First, I selected some motivational items from roadrunnersports.com. I love shopping there; they have decent selection and it's cheaper then my local running store.

My loot

I scored some new Nike shorts (in my pre-pregnancy size, yay!), a new sweatshirt (okay, not really running related, but I'm living in sweats during these early baby months), and a package of Clif shot bloks, to help motivate me to do some long(er) runs!

Finally, I had some $ left and I knew just where to put it: babysitting. After my (semi) recent revelation that running sans kids is needed to maintain my sanity it was a full 10 days before I got out there alone again. My husband's work schedule and the baby's eating schedule are conspiring against me. 

Now, with my husband out of town for two+ weeks, a couple of hours of babysitting are exactly what I needed. I got in a 9 mile run (since when did 10 min/mile pace feel hard? Oy, out of shape!), a shower and a grocery run. What a luxury three hours alone was!