Reasons to be Cheerful Part (One, Two,) Three

A freakishly productive Friday launched me into a dizzying good mood... and reminded me that I have THREE reasons to be cheerful and excited about running.

1.

Bloomsday Run, May 1, Spokane, Washington.
The Bloomsday Run is a northwest classic -- the largest run in the region with 50,000+ runners every year. And we've never run it... in previous years we've been out of town, running a different event, or just not fully aware. So this year, the 35th anniversary, I am determined to run it. One of the coolest things about the race is that they have finisher shirts. Not shirts you pick up when you register, or at the start line... but FINISHER shirts. If you see someone wearing a Bloomsday shirt, it means they've finished it. Respect.

2.

Bay to Breakers, May 15, San Francisco, California.
Bay to Breakers is a historic 12K race that runs from San Francisco Bay, up and over the hills, and down to the Pacific Ocean. This year is the 100th running of the race, so the perfect time to run. Historically it's a rollicking party, with costumed runners (including a large contingent of runners in, em, birthday suits...), people pushing elaborate floats, 50,000+ official runners, and general, good-natured mayhem. The organizers are trying very hard to "clean things up this year" -- so we'll see how that goes for them. I still think it will be a very, very fun time.

3.

Great Alaska Maritime Marathon, July 23-30, ms Westerdam
Heard about this running cruise last year, but chose to go to Beck and Steve's wedding instead. So as soon as registration opened for 2011, we signed up. Over the course of the week-long cruise, participants run 26.2 miles, running several different sorts of races over different distances. There's a 2-mile deck run while we're at sea to establish our paces. Then in each port, we run a different distance. I'm absurdly excited about this -- hope I can stay healthy for the whole event!

So, there. Lots of fun things to look forward to. :)