Circuit Friday, my favorite way to kick off a mileage-packed weekend. Since I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to prepare my legs for tomorrow’s 14 mile haul than kickin’ it with my girls, off I went to UEF. Following a brief warm-up, we hit the floor for more cardio, some squats and lunges, and finally the circuit and contest portion of class. It was difficult to mask my glee as we divided in to teams of two. Actually, there was no point in trying to hide my excitement since most of my fellow members know how I love a good competition. And race we did! While one team member completed a circuit, the other ran on the treadmill, then tag and switch- you know the drill. While Iassumed thought my team had a healthy lead, I allowed myself a little chatting time between stations, more to distract my competitors than to fulfill my need for social interaction (just kidding). Much to my surprise, another team declared themselves the winners as I finished my final push-ups. WTH? Inconceivable! To my credit, I only yelled at them a little. These girls had to be under 20-years old, couldn’t they just let an old lady win? I then kicked myself a bit, both for not being focused and for not identifying those two as the threat they proved to be. Once I regained my composure, I asked the instructor for some extra credit while everyone else finished the circuits. As I banged out some TRX rows, I laughed and patted myself on the back. Had I chosen to do anything else this morning, I’m sure I wouldn’t have found myself as fired up. This steadfastness will (hopefully) fuel me for tomorrow’s run. When I cross the imaginary 14-mile finish line, I will be the real winner, right? I considered sharing my sage-like revelations with the two victorious youngsters but in the end kept my mouth shut. Such true wisdom and supremacy can only be realized with age and experience.