…how many weeks ’til the Around the Bay?!?

This weekend is my first “race” of 2014.  That word “race” is in quotations because there will be no racing involved in my 5k run.  I feel like it is taking me forever to get back into running shape and at the moment finishing a 5k somewhere around 30 minutes is probably the most I can hope for.  But I am looking forward to hanging out at a race again and getting to run with Evan.  At this time of year I am not sure which of us will find it more difficult to complete the run but I am guessing his youth will give him an advantage.

I am also looking forward to trying a new race.  It is pretty easy to just keep signing up for races you have done in the past.  I hope though that this year I will get to at least a couple of “new” runs, starting with this one.  Of course the Richmond Road Race is only new to me.  It has in fact been around for 32 years, so I have to assume this is a run worth trying.  I also admit I like the shirt that will be coming in my race kit:

According to the December edition of The Pulse, “the race’s new coat of arms features a fox, representing the Town of Richmond’s unique history with that animal (a rabid fox ended the life of the Town’s namesake, the Duke of Richmond) and the motto: ‘Run Fast or Freeze.'”

While running a semi-decent 5k right now is cause for a little concern, it is nothing like the panic I felt when I looked at the calendar and realized that I have 11 weeks to be ready for a 30k run.  If it were a half marathon race I know it would all come together.  But one thing I learned while training for my fall marathon; there is a BIG difference between 21 and 30km.  So I can’t naively tell myself, “Hey, it’s only another 9km, how hard can it be?”  It is a good thing I have decided that it will be a fun run and a chance to try a new race rather than a major goal race.  The Around the Bay Race has an impressive history and does seem to be one of those runs that every runner wants to participate in at some point in their running careers.  So for now I just keep telling myself it will be a fun race to try, and who doesn’t want to meet the infamous Grim Reaper at the top of the last hill, beside a cemetery no less?