Trigger Happy

Well.  I did it again.  I signed up for another race: the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon at the end of June.  I will actually be one week into working at my new job, but I found out yesterday that I'll have that weekend off.  And what do I do with weekends off?

Yup.  That's what we call addiction, ladies & gentlemen.  ;)

Oops

It was an accident, I swear!

Ok, it wasn't an accident.  It was an intentional - yet possibly stupid - decision.  Only time will tell.  (Isn't that how addictions work?)  Hopefully it will involve some hilarities, a handful of goofy pictures and (*fingers crossed*) no injuries.

The one thing that makes me sad about this marathon is that it means I won't be in New Orleans to cheer on or run with my friends.  I know a handful of people doing the half and the full and I'll miss it.  As for the race itself, no love lost.  I ran it last year and I have to say that I liked it better when it was run by our local track club.  (Last year it became a Rock N' Roll event.)  I'm sure they will continue to improve the race - perhaps it's not fair to judge based on their inaugural year, but there you have it.  Plus, it's like a ga-zillion dollars to run  the Mardi Gras Marathon and paying for Mercedes even last minute was still cheaper than the early discount for New Orleans.  Ah well.  I'll definitely be thinking about my friends as I crawl the last miles in pain.

What do you have coming up?  Ever run Mercedes or Mardi Gras?

Addiction

My plan was to run the Mercedes Marathon on February 13.  Not for time.  It was meant to be purely for fun.  Birmingham has hills that make New Orleanians cry, but my good friend lives there and they have pretty sweet medals:

You could totally glue this on the hood of your car...

That was the plan, anyway.  But this winter has been frought with obstacles to running and runs that used to be a piece of cake are kicking my a-- more challenging than normal.  Sunday, I ran a local 30K as a slow long run and my calves didn't appreciate the effort.

So running Mercedes would be suicide.  It's a really stupid idea.  Really dumb.  But... uh... um... I might do it anyway.  Drinking beer with friends at the finish should drown the pain, right?  As long as I walk all the hills?  (And the slight inclines?)

Kinda sounds like a meth addict who can't get enough.  I guess there are worse addictions than running...

ad·dic·tion

 noun \ə-ˈdik-shən, a-\

1

: the quality or state of being addicted <addiction to reading>

2

: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance [or activity?] (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.