Mother's Day, Boulder-Style

When my friend Tori told me about the all-women Title 9K Mother's Day run, I was skeptical. Isn't Mother's Day supposed to be about lounging in pajamas and reading The New York Times while other people make you breakfast? Apparently not in Boulder. And so, at 7:45 AM on Mother's Day, I found myself driving toward the reservoir to run a race.

As soon as we stepped out of the car, I was glad I had come. The sun was shining, Indigo Girls (who else for an all-women run?) were blaring from the speakers, and we ran into about half the people we know in Boulder. Plus, the girls were thrilled to run in their own race that morning. They start them early in Boulder, so even Noni ran in the 2 & 3 year-old run.

The course itself was beautiful, around the reservoir with a clear view of the mountains. I loved seeing all the kids out with "Go Mom!" signs around the course. Tori and I ran it together (well, I ran it to her jogging pace) and talked about how fourteen years ago in Ecuador, we never would have imagined that we'd be living in the same town and that our two-year-olds would be running a race together.

Once the race was over, I spent the rest of Mother's Day in a much more typical and relaxing fashion. My friend Alex threw a post-race brunch (where all the dads had to bring the food) and I ended the day with a pedicure. I have to admit, I enjoyed the luxury of the afternoon that much more knowing that I had run a race that morning. Perhaps I've been sucked into the Gortex Vortex after all...

My littlest runner