*RECAP* Andrea Barber 4.0 Mile Birthday Run... Rainbows, Fun & Love

Oh boy do I wish I could've celebrated Andrea Barber's birthday in California with many of my other friends from the internet, but it wasn't in the cards.

I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea in May 2015 at Rock N Roll San Diego marathon weekend.

She is a sheer joy to be around and dating one of the favorite people I have met thanks to blogging and the internet, Michael (aka PointOneMiles).

When Andrea announced she would be doing a birthday run that would be benefiting Girls On The Run, I signed up IMMEDIATELY. Not only did the run benefit a good cause, but the swag was ON POINT!

Also check out that KICKASS personal message. :) AH-MAY-ZING!

Since I couldn't be in California, I opted to tackle my four miles on the Cape during my lunch break on July 1st.

I put on my brightest rainbow and my best PRO Compression Gibblers to celebrate. :)

I couldn't make it to the Cape Cod Canal so I settled for the road outside my parents' trailer/RV in Sandwich, MA.

Running along a sort of major street/highway keep the pace in check. :P

I always promise my family to be as safe as possible when running along a busy street with little to know shoulder.

I headed out and kept my friends and the girls I was running for in the forefront of my mind.

The roads on the Cape are never flat. In New England, we live on rolling hills.

Oh is this not how folks define "flat" where you live? :) I should really call this four mile run hill repeats, but I am trying to act like I don't mind the inclines. :P

Mile 1: 9:04

But really dodging the big trucks driving down the road kept my attention and I did not get bored - that's for sure.

I don't listen to music while running so I didn't have that distraction.

Really it wouldn't be the safest way to run on a busy street like that. Instead I sang to myself... off key and loudly! :P

Mile 2: 8:22

I hit the highway that brings us from Boston to the Cape and that is my spot to turnaround. YAY! It is kind of nice to know I can run two miles down the street and turnaround for a quick 4-miler when I do not have the time to travel to the Canal.

The folks along this road are unique for sure. This includes the house that owns this mailbox which makes me happy every time I run or drive past it.

I mean how priceless is this? You cannot pass this without giggling.

Mile 3: 8:31

I wanted to let the legs loose a little before I made them suffer through back-to-back 15-milers. ;)

It was the time I needed to walk between living in the run and knowing I had two long runs ahead of me. I am not one to follow a training plan well, but I know my coach didn't want me to push too much. So instead I let the legs loose a tad, but kept it in check.

Let me tell you I never thought that a comfortable pace would be in the 8's. That is NOT what I was used to when I first started running. But I am proud of how far I've come.

Mile 4: 8:03