~6.0 mi @ ~15.3 min/mi

"Fail falling forward!" Crabby and Roadkill concur on the spirit of the athlete (Greek "athlon" = feat or contest) — strive, fail, repeat — regardless of the realm. For some it's doing an ultra in an ice storm; for some it's adding a minute to time on the elliptical or pushing through one more push-up; for some it's driving to an event with the chemo drip-bag hanging from the rear view mirror; for some it's hitting "send" on an email, signing up to take a scary test. It's all about expanding the envelope, cheerfully going a step beyond the comfort zone and helping others do likewise. We chase a pair of fast runners for a 10:18 first mile, then settle down to walking with sporadic intervals of slow jogging.

"Never look back!" Roadkill sneaks up behind Santa Steve and tugs on his t-shirt, and Crabby salutes Princess Penguin. We last saw each other at the Disney Dopey races 3 weeks ago. A passer-by on the Capital Crescent Trail takes photos, carefully posed with a snowy background to avoid showing the real urban Bethesda context.

(trackfile) - ^z - 2019-03-01