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Southport Thanksgiving Day Race (First Postpartum Race)

The last race I'd run before giving birth was the Lightfoot Runners' Mother's Day 10K--3 months prior to becoming a mom--and now here I was, lacing up my sneakers--3 months after becoming a mom. I was one of those people who ran my entire pregnancy (including the day before giving birth!) but I gave up racing, enjoyed the slower miles, and above all else was grateful to my body for its ability to run comfortably while carrying precious cargo.

I set no expectations for myself for this race. I hadn't trained, typically ran longer than 5 miles (it was an odd distance for me), and didn't know what "race pace" meant for my body postpartum. I decided I'd just ran fast, not look at my watch, and see what happened.

The day was clear, cool, and windy. My husband and 3-month-old son jogged around with me to warm up and saw me off to the start--they were my motivation! Feeling ambitious, I wedged my way up towards the front of the pack. A father told his young son to run "as fast as you can go" for the first 100 yards so he wouldn't get trampled. (This gave me some second thoughts about where I'd positioned myself!)

Racing towards the finish!

Hanging with the college track runners with the finish in sight.

Made it home!



The course wound around Southport--the waterfront portions were beautiful but super windy--with the finish just a few blocks away from the start. When I bounded towards the finish alongside what looked like college cross country runners, I wondered what was going on for a moment, but was quickly drawn into the crowd's excitement. An official raced after me to give me a t-shirt. It read "elite finisher"...according to my watch, I kept a 6:53 pace! Becoming a mother makes you stronger in many ways, and that day, I discovered one.

The Run Down 



  • Type: Race 
  • Course Distance: 5 miles
  • Location: Southport, CT
  • Terrain: Rolling hills
  • Hydration/nutrition: N/A
  • Bathrooms: N/A
  • Other conditions to consider: Parking! People create spots off of the I-95 ramp/along a side street that runs parallel to the highway. I'd advise parking there rather than super close to the start/finish, or else you'll be stuck all day. It's a crowded race!
  • Recommended? Absolutely. It's an incredibly talented field--with all of the college cross country stars home for the holidays, plus a great local running community year-round--so you may be inspired to go faster than usual. 
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