9 miles / 9 months

I am a big fan of "celebrating" things with a run. It's a great way to honor the occasion, be it a birthday, a holiday, a beautiful day, a snowy day, etc and still get in a run. Last month when Baby turned 8 months, I decided to run 8 miles. It was a good excuse to push the distance and get outside on a frosty day (one of the few we've had thus far). Yesterday, Baby hit the 9 month mark, so I figured I'd run 9 miles in her honor. Yesterday was also 50 degrees --> perfect for running. 

My route was an out and back to Lincoln Park Zoo. I've been wanting to run through the zoo for a while now, and this was a perfect day to do it. I only saw a few animals, but it was pretty and scenic and not at all crowded. I took a few pics on my way out. 

As for the run itself, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't terrible. I held a very steady pace of 9:20/mile and kept it pretty consistent. The wind wasn't much of a issue, but my legs were feeling the 27 miles of last week. The sun was pleasant and comforting, and it was just nice to be out along the lake with all the other happy runners (I assume they must happy since it's spring in January -- at least for one more day). Baby stayed home with her grandparents (god bless them), so I was able to enjoy my peaceful, solo run. Today I'm thinking about taking Baby on a short recovery run - it's another 50 degree day, which would be a shame to waste indoors. Hopefully she will agree ;) 

9 months