Hot Times, Running In the City

It's mighty cold.

Like, 22 degrees out cold. So what on earth is my entry title referring to? The Peachtree Road Race, held every July 4th in Atlanta, GA--the world's largest 10K,* and a race in which my sister and I will be participating.**

*Apparently, not so anymore; the Peachtree has been surpassed as the largest 10K by the Vancouver Sun Run. What can I say, it's a big year for Canadians.

**Participation does depend on whether or not we are able to register for one of the 55,000 spots available. I'm hoping we do!

Online registration takes place during the last week of March, so you can bet my sister and I will be signing up as soon as the web page loads :) She's run the Peachtree before, and while I (obviously) have not, I'm really looking forward to it! Plus, it'll be my goal to train so that I can run it the whole time.

While it's only a 10K (around 6 miles for those conversion-phobes), it's not a flat course and it is set in Atlanta in July, so the Peachtree will pose challenges that the Disney Marathon did not. I, for one, will be glad to not run in 20 degree weather--though I may regret saying that, knowing how hot it gets in the South during the summer months...

For now, I don't really have a set training plan; I'm really just getting used to working out again, and enjoying it! I think, once registration happens, I'll start following a more structured training module, incorporating a lot more outside workouts and incline training (apparently mile 5 is uphill, yikes!).

It'll feel awesome to have a big plan to follow :) I have found that, even though I'm all creative and free-spirity and awesome, I occasionally crave order. Weird.

In conclusion, I've decided (what with my fervor for the Olympics) that I will be ending my posts (at least until the Winter Games are over) with fun facts relating to Canada, the Olympics, and hockey.

Today's Fun Facts:

1) Vancouver was named for Captain Vancouver, which is just awesome. "Captain Vancouver." Heh.
2) No country in the Southern Hemisphere has ever hosted the Winter Olympics.
3) Hockey is the best sport in the world. FACT.

Best,
Captain Vancouver

Olympic Fever!

In case you didn't know, I love the Olympics.

Like, a big, ol' heart filled with international cooperation and friendship kind of love.

The XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver will begin broadcasting February 12, 2010 on NBC, and I am so ridiculously excited! And there are so many reasons to get pumped about it, too.

The younger brother of the summer games, the winter games are often overlooked by many, which is sad, as they are awesome. Snowy and awesome! Snowboarding, ice dancing, speed skating--if you find yourself with a spare moment during the two weeks that span the Olympics, check them out.

I am really excited this year for women's figure skating: Yuna Kim, representing South Korea, is like no skater I have seen before. Even if you have no knowledge about figure skating, you can tell that she is extraordinary, both as an athlete and a performer. Watch her here: Yuna Kim "Gold". But don't think I'm forsaking anyone from Team USA: Rachael Flatt and (especially) Mirai Nagasu are going to give excellent performances, though I don't know if they can compare with Yuna.

Now, don't go thinking figure skating is the main thing for me. The other reason I get super stoked about the Winter Games? HOCKEY.

Yes, folks, I love hockey oh so much. And the fact that this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the 1980 Miracle On Ice just makes me even more thrilled to watch the Men's Ice Hockey medal rounds! Now, if anyone happened to have any free tickets to the Men's Gold Medal Round, I'd be happy to take them off your hands, thankyouverymuch.

Oh, well--I'll watch it from the comfort of the couch, and in the meantime, rewatch the movie Miracle and pretend I'm there :) If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It is one of my absolute favorites, a really beautiful story--and it'll speak to you, even if you don't like hockey (what a preposterous idea!).

As my sister typed to me earlier: do do do do do do do-do-do do do do do do do (BUMMM)!
It's the Olympic Theme by John Williams. Go ahead and hum it.

BUMMM!

Brrr!

Well, my goodness, readers!

I traveled south for a wedding, and what have I been greeted with? SNOW.

Yes, friends. That chilly, frozen loveliness fell from the sky as I trained this morning. It really was quite beautiful, but also made me long for the comfort of my gym--where my ears don't freeze off.

I'll be back in the north soon enough, a place that is currently warmer than here, but until then, I'll enjoy the icy feeling I get from running outdoors. 

I am quite glad, however, that Florida is supposed to be warmer in January. As much as I delight in the snow, I don't want to be running in it for 26.2 miles. Brrr.

Brrrrrrrrrr.

New Job Fun

So, as mentioned in yesterday's post, soon my crazy schedule will be less crazy--hooray!

Starting in late November, I begin working at Macy's Santaland, as in the miracle on 34th.
I worked there last holiday season and had an absolute blast, so I will be taking a brief hiatus from my current job to style Santa. And get awesome discounts.

The wonderful thing about Santaland is that my schedule will be much easier when it comes to balancing training and work. I'll work 5 hours a day, evening shift; this means I'll be able to get sleep, go running, and still have time for real life, all before I head to the North Pole.

Ah, freedom!

Not to mention, I won't be on my feet much (unlike with my current job), so it'll give my legs the rest they need after running.

Huzzah, my friends, huzzah! So, come and visit me in December and get your picture taken with Santa :) I promise, it's totally awesome.

Stayed tuned for an entry later this evening regarding an interesting topic: snobby runners!