Canceled Race :(

The effects of the snow strike again!

George Washington Birthday Marathon Canceled We regret to announce that the 2010 George Washington Birthday Marathon has been canceled. The Race Directors are in the process of working out a refund strategy and will communicate soon with all registered entrants.

The Snow Strikes Again!

If you haven't heard yet, we have been in a week long snow storm---actually it's been two storms, but it has just DUMPED snow on the area.

I've been wondering how this would affect our upcoming race on Sunday.
Today I received my answer:

Washington Birthday Marathon Canceled/Postponed

The George Washington Birthday Marathon will not take place
this Sunday, February 14th, due to expected unsafe road
conditions in the Greenbelt/Beltsville area.  The Race
Directors are researching whether it is possible to
reschedule the race, tentatively for Sunday, March 28th.



I have to say I'm pretty sad, but understand completely.  I
can't find my driveway right now let alone a sidewalk or path
to run on.  And after all of this sitting I think it will be
nice to have a period of easing into running again---and
not a race.

Once this blizzard passes I will look forward to running
outdoors...in the meantime I am just dreaming of warmer days
and clean roads!

One Small Step for [this] Man.......

Well.... It's official. I have signed up for my first Olympic distance triathlon. I will be doing the inaugural Washington DC Triathlon on June 20th, 2010. I have been hesitant to sign up for a race for a couple of reasons - one, it is an imposing distance for me to race, and two, registration fees for these big city triathlons are a bit (ok a lot) more than I thought they would be. I'm used to the $25 10k road race registration fees, this triathlon is a bit more than that. Amy has been asking me which races I have signed up for, and I kept putting her off saying I was still looking for one. The other night I was showing her the website for this race, and wham.... she was signing me up. It was what I needed, an internet kick in the ass to get moving and commit to a race.

So now what do I do? I have been running and swimming fairly consistently, but now that I have a race I need to step it up a bit. Of course I am saying this on the day we get two feet of snow in DC. Olympic distance triathlons are a big step up in distance from the little sprint tri I did last September. This DC race is 1.5K of swimming (in the Potomac), 40K of biking (two laps of course that takes me through Georgetown and up the Rock Creek Park and around the Lincoln), and then a 10K run down the mall (with a finish up Capitol Hill). It should be a good race for spectators with the looping bike course and the run down the

Mall.

I'm still not so sure about swimming in the Potomac - its a long way from my nice crystal clear, and chlorinated pool. No matter what the air temperature is on race day I

think I will be wearing a wetsuit if only to ward off chemical burns.

So right now my biggest concern is training for the bike. I love the bike that I have (Thanks Scott!). But I just haven't had the time, opportunity, or motivation to go on a multi hour ride. I

guess I have some time before June to work on that. I'm sure many people training for triathlons have this problem, its easy to get a good workout in doing an hour of running or an hour of swimming, but an hour of biking for some reason is just harder for me to do. Maybe its just that it is winter, maybe its the two feet of snow on the ground, maybe I just don't like the bike aspect. Well in any case, I don't have a choice now, I have committed myself to a race, and that is the first big step.

A Snowapoclypse

Around Mark's birthday I received an email about a Run for Haiti....not a race, but rather a gathering of runners who would show both monetary support and mass support for the people of Haiti. The race was scheduled for Saturday, February 6.

RUN HAITI

Run for a cause of great importance and help raise money to assist the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. The Chevy Chase Running Company is leading a fundraiser run on Saturday, February 6th at 9am. The run will be a 6 mile run(not race). The run will start at the Chevy Chase store at 4461 Willard Ave, one block away from the Friendship Heights Metro. Each participant will be asked to contribute $5 or more. The funds will be donated to the American Red cross. The run is for all abilities and all paces and will take place on the Capital Crescent Trail. Bagels and juice will be served post run. On Saturdays there is plenty of free parking in the surrounding neighborhood. Furthermore, there is a parking lot directly behind the store and all parking stubs will be validated. For further information call 301.215.6355

I debated whether it could count as one of my 20 races since it's technically not a race, but then reasoned that yes, it could. The idea of my New Year's Resolution was to get out there and participate in running events, this definitely counted and had a better cause than most of the races I have signed up for.

But, along came (shark music here): THE SNOW! Not just any snow, but what people are calling the Snowapoclypse.... It's 7:57 am as I write this and we're already at 15 or 18 inches, with up 24 inches predicted by 10 pm tonight.

It was no surprise then to wake up this morning to find this email in my inbox:

RUN FOR HAITI IS POSTPONED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING WEEK

The RUN FOR HAITI, originally planned for February the 6th, has been postponed due to the snow strom. The Run will take place the following week, the Saturday the 13th, at the same time and same location. The run is a 6 mile fun run that leaves from the Chevy Chase Running Company at 9am. The store is located at 4461 Willard Ave in Chevy Chase, MD. It is approximatley one block from the Friendship Heights Metro and located between Panera and Chipotle. There is no registration required. Please come and donate to the earthquake victims. Please call 301.215.6355 or email ChevyChase@therunningcompany.net with questions. The RunCo

I will look froward to running it next weekend--a double header. A "run" for Haiti on Saturday and a marathon relay on Sunday. Stay tuned for next week's posts!

As for now, I'm looking forward to eventually seeing a road to run on again or a gym with a working treadmill! We'll have to ride out this storm! :)