It's a race!

I don't know how it happens. Something in my brain clicks, and I think, "It's a race!" as Mr. Bean so famously puts it in Rat Race. "I hope I win!"

Now, I am no super-athlete, so in most races I'm in, I actually don't win. Whatevs. That's ok. BUT, I have found that if the other person doesn't know that we are racing, then lots of times I stay ahead of them, and "win".

I do this all the time in the pool. I don't let anyone pass me. In any lanes that I can see. Micah thinks this is hilarious, because I'll come home all bent out of shape if I actually got passed. It's a problem.

Perhaps I need an outlet for this kind of competition. Today, I was enjoying my warm-up walk up my favorite hill before my fun run this morning. I was listening to music and enjoying some peaceful thinking time. In the corner of my eye, I noticed movement. It was a guy on the other side of the road, on his bike, and he really wasn't riding too fast. (It's a pretty steep hill). I thought, "Wow, he's going slow. But actually, I probably look like that when I ride up this hill."
Then he started to get ahead of me.
Click. "It's a race!"
I should run. I bet I could pass him.
No, I shouldn't do that.
He would feel horrible.
He got passed.
By a girl.
Running!
No, that's mean.
I should not be trying to race people who are not racing.
He probably wouldn't even notice. Or care.
He is enjoying his bike ride.
I could never race bikes. I always get passed.
Kind of like when I run.
But not as bad.
When I ran my first 5k, I think I got passed by a nine-year-old. That was humbling.
Not so much the next time.
I don't like to get passed. Like that scene in Spanglish, where Téa Leoni is yelling "Left!" as she passes everyone, and the nanny hears her coming, and won't let her pass: "No left!" That's me. Don't pass me :)

I should run more.
It's good thinking time, good exercise, and I would get better at it.
Maybe I could finish that half-marathon I was training for last year.
Takes a lot of time to train, but if I could get to bed earlier, I could wake up early enough to be back before Hannah and Micah are ready for the day.
I think I'll do it. I'll run the half-marathon. In February.
I'm a little intimidated by this.
Not Micah. He says that he's really good at running. He could finish this race without training.
I think he would be really sore.
He says no.
I think he should run it.
Behind me. So I feel like I'm winning :)