March On

It's March 1st today folks.  The lion is not exactly roaring outside, at least in St. Catharines.  It's a balmy +1, lots of sunshine and a lovely breeze.  If this is the lion, I can't wait to meet the lamb. 

March means lots of things in my world.  St. Patrick's Day is in March.  That means a family dinner of peameal bacon, cabbage, turnip and potatoes as well as green streamers, shamrock glasses and leprechauns.  Everybody wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day but only a lucky few really are!

March means the first day of spring, that crocuses will start invading my parents' garden and that we change the clocks.

This year, March also means that (omigod!) Around the Bay is almost here. 

Around the Bay, the oldest race in North America, is always held on the last Sunday in March.  The reason for this is that shipping into Hamilton Harbour starts in April so the race is held in March to avoid conflicts with the lift bridge. 

Back in October, when I registered for ATB, March seemed like a lifetime away. Now that I've flipped my calendar, it's not.  In fact, 27 days from now, I will have already crossed the finish line and will have a 30k race under my belt. Holy bananas!  Apparently time flies when you're training.

Goals for the next 27 days?

- stay strong
- stay healthy
- eat well
- get my runs in
- avoid injury (aka no more hill training for me until after the race)
- massages and visits to the chiropractor
- buy a new running hat because my old one is falling apart (I think I'll wait until the expo for something fun!)
- figure out what race I'm going to do next so I can sign up and keep myself motivated

I'm excited.

I'm nervous.

I'm sure it's going to hurt.

I'm sure I'm going to cross the finish line on my own two feet.

And that, folks, is about all I know.