Women runners are often asked: Which is harder, running a marathon or giving birth? Until last Saturday I could only take other women runners’ answer to this question at face value. Now I have my own: giving birth, hands down!

I went into labor at around nine o’clock Friday night. Adam and I got to the hospital at midnight. My contractions became so violent that I became physically ill, but my cervix wouldn’t dilate, so at 2:00 am I was given an epidural so I could sleep. I woke up at 6:00 when my doctor, Robin Barrett, arrived. She broke my water and I was given more medicine through my epidural, allowing me to sleep one more hour while my doctor got ready for the big push.