Running my first road race this Saturday!

OK, I have been working really hard. Every weekend, my girlfriend and I run three or four miles together, though it's been since 2012 that I have last run a 5k race.  

And, though I am in no position to run a four-mile run in the Arlington hills, this is perfect timing. My girl is off to Paris tomorrow for a week for work.

Why is this the perfect time? Because I slow my girl down on all our runs so I would really like to get my first run out of the way in a zone where I am super comfortable and where I don't know anyone.  

My girlfriend is younger and fitter than I am so while she's the most encouraging person in the world and is my own personal running coach, I get a little self-conscious when I am around her because I know her unencumbered pace is closer to 8:00 or 9:00 and I know she can basically walk next to me as I am doing my comfortable 14:00-16:00 mile.

So, I just plan to sweat this one out, get it done, and hopefully we can both do the pretty awesome and fun race series that Northern Virginia and greater Washington is known for.

So awesome. So cool!

She's awesome and motivates me to bring my 16:00 pace down to 14:00 but I get some serious pre-race anxiety, even though I am not running this race to be competitive.

So, I will probably run an easy 16:00 page for all 4 miles and then meet some people, get some swag, win my t-shirt, and quaff a beer at the same pub I spent most of my 20s in, Ireland's Four Courts Pub.  

I also love to support everything that Pacers Running does since they sold me my very first pair of Hoka One One Bondi 4 running shoes from their charming Alexandria store.

So, while I have been spotty at best with my daily 10,000 meters/day for the 2016 Concept2 Mud Season Madness (I am really under, so I don't think I'll make the 25/31 day minimum) and I have not been doing my 6/7 day-week ass-kicking at 9Round Penrose, I have been soaking myself with my own sweat at least four or five times-a-week.

So, except for yesterday where the best-laid plans of mice and men went awry, I have been getting at least one workout-per-day.

So, wish me luck this Saturday at 9AM as I lace in and head out to join hundreds of other Arlingtonians and fellow folks from the DMV to see what I can do on the hilly race course known this weekend as the 2016 Four Courts Four Miler ... huzzah!