Another Walk in '08!

After a two-week break, I have some news to share and several people to thank, so let's get to it!

I just signed up for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Va., on May 18 (a Sunday) next year. It's primarily aimed at runners, but, again, the rule is only that you have to be off the course in four hours. My friend Lynn -- who completed the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, so kudos to her -- signed up as well. (Also, hats off to my friend Melanie, who finished the 10K!) The half marathon starts at 7 a.m. -- I'm a morning person, but that is still pretty early -- and comes two weeks after the Avon Walk, so I'll be keeping up my motivation and walking all summer!

By the way, there's an interesting article in The New York Times today about races that do not allow runners to use their iPods. I was quite worried about the fact I couldn't use mine in Baltimore, and annoyed when I saw many other people on the course using theirs. Even if races ban their use, however, it seems like an impossible rule to enforce. There just aren't enough race officials throughout the course to ensure that runners follow the rule (and are they going to run after all the rulebreakers?), the police officers have other things to worry about (such as street closures) and runners aren't going to rat out each other. I would gladly sign a waiver saying I accept any responsibility for not hearing instructions, etc., if it meant I could use mine. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Also, an update on the cute Komen lunch bags: Mine arrived in the mail yesterday and they're adorable.