What to expect when you're expecting...(to run a half marathon!)

They both involve a lot of pushing - especially at the end. They both require your body to undergo intense physical pain. They both produce a sweet, life changing reward and change your life forever.

If you never thought training for a half marathon and being pregnant had anything in common....well, then, you are probably a man  - or you've never run a half marathon!! :) This weekend, myself and 4 girlfriends ran the Pacific Crest Half Marathon. As we sat there, after the race, over several cold brewskis, we discussed a lot of deep life issues. We covered topics like surviving the death of parent, raising kids, traveling to far away places. It is amazing how training, running and sweating it out with close friends, suddenly makes everyone more vulnerable and the discussion of any topic becomes permissable. You have nothing to hide and find that similair, shared experiences is the thing that got you into this in the first place.

We recounted each mile of the race, noted particularly difficult stretches and rejoiced in our final steps over the finish line...all of us achieving "personal records" that day.  There were smiles, laughter and yes, lots of tears. It was one of those female bonding moments that you only see in the movies. We had trained hard and we were relishing in the "afterglow" of a job well done. We gave our families a ton of credit...knowing full well that we could not have done our long weekend runs if it hadn't been for our supportive husbands. We cherished the look on our children's faces as they saw some of us cross a half marathon finish line for the first time...and yes, we patted ourselves on the back for putting the time and energy into a rather lofty goal and accomplishing it!

Perhaps training for a half and bringing a baby into the world are more similar than anyone ever thought? I mean, when else in your life would you forgo a two martini lunch for a salad and glass of water or keep a daily journal on what you ate, how much weight you have gained and how you are feeling? We tend to treat ourselves way better when we are expecting...by taking lots of vitamins and allowing ourselves to rest; eating for two causes us to look more closely at what we put in our bodies and more often than not, we think twice about having that obligatory glass of wine with dinner.

Just like pregnancy, training forces us to focus on what is good for our bodies and what will make them stronger and more effective when it really counts. It involves sacrifice for the good of the whole. We are willing to endure 9 months or 10 weeks of scrutinizing our habits because we know it will be worth it in the end.

But...the most common similarity, we all agreed, is that, like childbirth, you quickly forget how much pain is involved and tend to focus on the end result (whether it's holding your precious new bundle or that shiny precious medal!)...and can't wait to start working on the next one!!