Happy Mardi Gras and Upcoming Events

For those of you who celebrate Mardi Gras: Have a GREAT Celebration! Now, go earn some beads!!

As you can see from this picture from the 2008 Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans I earned many beads...you would not believe what I had to do to earn them:-)

I just had to ask...

Today I was able to get in 2 runs, one during my lunch "hour" and one after my workday, which was very nice (I felt a bit sorry about the stench I created for my flexplace colleagues: Zaboo, Sagwa, Powder and Gilligan, but not bad enough to shower!) . It was a pretty day here in DC although very cold and a bit windy. As I was running I thought about my upcoming calendar. My running life is booked until about September (although I now have events in Dec: Las Vegas and Death Valley and Jan: Disney Goofy--I anxiously await the availability to sign up again for Rocky Raccoon and have "money burning a hole in my pocket" to do this:-).

At the end of September, Tristan and I are debating going to New England for a week so I can run both the Vermont 50 miler and the New Hampshire Marathon the next week. We would first go to Vermont for the 50, then go to New Hampshire for some hiking/leaf peeping and in early October run the New Hampshire Marathon (a really cool marathon I have run the last two years and enjoyed immensely). We haven't firmed up these plans but it is likely we will do this.

For Columbus Day weekend I am excited to be doing the New River Trail 50 km in Western VA. I have already signed up and now we just have to figure out the logistics and which (if any) of the pets may join us. After the race, Tristan and I will head to his relatives house in the mountains of Western North Carolina for the long weekend.

But of course I am getting ahead of myself. In the next few weeks I have several local marathons (we really are lucky in the DC area to have many marathons/ultra's in January, February and March) and events.

This weekend I have the B&A Trail Marathon in Annapolis, the following weekend I stay at my friend Donna and Chris's house in Piney Point for the Lower Potomac Marathon (2 years ago I was running this race and unexpectedly heard a voice: "Go Tammy", the next day at work one of my co-workers mentioned a different co-worker saw me near her beach house and I was the talk of the office...small world, eh?). I then have a weekend off, followed by the National Marathon. I am a bit nervous about the 5:30 time limit for the National Marathon but will pretend my Dad is there and has requested a 5 hour marathon time!

Right before Umstead 100, my final training run will be the Runterra 8km race in Montgomery County. This is a new GREEN race that is only about 2-3 miles from my house. I am planning to run to the start, run the race and either run home, catch a local bus home or mooch a ride from a runner-friend (I don't specifically know anyone who is running this race however, in the last 20 events I have run I have known at least 5 or 10 people....even in Texas!). I am excited about this race because in addition to the green philosophy of the race, they are going to PLANT A TREE FOR EVERY RUNNER! Is this not cool ? (although it would totally be even cooler if they provided a "finisher's sapling", wouldn't it?) I wonder what kind of tree will be planted on my behalf--I hope it is a fruit tree, although a big oak tree would be neat because I think my friends, the squirrels and other woodland critters, like acorns from oak tree's.

I can barely wait for Umstead. I am a bit anxious and nervous but also more excited then anything else. I know what to expect, I have lots of friends I know who are running it, my family including Cindy and Tristan will be there to support, cheer me on and pace me and the weather can not be any worse than last year, can it??? Of course to lead into my race properly I will be volunteering during Friday afternoon, which I am looking forward to. This will be my second year volunteering and I now know many of the volunteers who I am happy to say compose my wonderful "Umstead Family".