Time to race again

Over the last two months, I've run 564 miles, done a dozen workouts, though several were slower than last year's marathon pace. I've ended up hammering some long runs, and when I total it all, still I'm left with a very abstract concept of my fitness. The By George 5k is not going to be a masterpiece, but at the very least I will have an assessment of what I can do for a 3.1 miles of running. From there I will be able to calibrate the rest of my training and my expectations of what I will be able to do this year. It is also the earliest I have raced in my post-collegiate running, given my revulsion to indoor track.

16:30?

The course is a nice change on the typical Hains Point configuration. It's a counter-clockwise loop of the golf course. No out-and-back, and I hardly ever run that direction, so it will be a fresh route.

Wednesday was beautiful, so I took a long lunch break to run to Rock Creek Park, admittedly not my favorite place to run in DC. I'm not sure exactly why, but I just don't like it much. The trails, though numerous, are nothing special, and I never seem to run well when I am there. I much prefer Frick, Schenley or Pocohontas. I ended up following a trail that took me into Glover Park and ended up extending the route a little, to 14 miles.

Thursday night I headed back to George Marshall for 12x400. The youth soccer players and their parents were much more cooperative than the lacrosse hellions of the prior week. The 400s went well: 70,71,72,71,71,71,72,71,71,70,70, 70.

Friday I did an easy five miles around Capitol Hill.