Just Call Me "Tom"

Today I entered yet another race lottery, this time for the unique 'Bull Run Run' in April. This 50 mile race, which began in 1993, takes place on the beautiful & tough Bull Run Trail in Northern Virginia. The run's unique character includes a Civil War theme that respects the battles that occurred on the Bull Run site many years ago. One of the coolest aspects of the Civil War theme is all runners select which side (North or South) they'll be "fighting" for during the race. In the end all points are tallied up depending on finishing times and a "winner" is declared.

Since the theme of the race is to honor those who fought in the battles of Bull Run, I have entered the lottery under the name 'Tom Griffin': my great-great-great grandfather who actually fought for the North 160 years ago in the real Bull Run battles. I should note, since I don't want to cheat to win the '179+ year-old' age group during the race, I entered the race with my actual age and not Tom's. I'm already looking forward to lining up with my fellow troopers from the North....if, of course, I'm lucky enough to win the lottery. That said, it can't hurt to have the luck of Irish Tom Griffin on my side this time!

As for my running/rehab this week, I'm happy to report my knee has finally healed up after 3 weeks of babying it as much as possible. I've got a couple weeks to try and ramp up the training a bit before a quick taper prior to the Iron Horse 100. I'm beyond happy that this course is mostly on a grassy trail, as my knee should hold up fine on such a cushy surface. I still have no clue what type of shoe I'll wear, so most likely I'll just pack 3 or 4 options and make my decision when I scope out the terrain in person the day before. Of course, since the weather will be much warmer down there, no matter what shoe I pick, I'll just be happy I won't need to add ice screws for the race!