Limosines for the feets!

Santa brought me a pair of bright, pimped out size 11 Asics Gel Nimbus 13s. The soles have the impressive GU Dance Line, whatever that is.

These are the carriages that'll carry me across the Houston Marathon, Rouge Orleans Ultra Relay and New Orleans Marathon finish lines. And because I'm training in the cool months, these won't stink nearly as much as the Asics I just retired.

They were good to me too. They helped me in the final stages of Chicago Marathon training, the race itself, and prepped me for Houston -- though I should have traded them in long ago.

After I finish Christmas clean up -- the tree is punishing my allergies -- I'll wax philosophical on shoes. Can't wait.

Merry day after Christmas and Happy New Year!

What have I done?!?

Have you ever run an Ultramarathon relay? I signed up for one today. In the words of David Byrne, "My God, what have I done?"

You may ask yourself,
where does that highway lead to

On the weekend of Feb 10-12, 2012, my team of 6 will run 126.2 miles from downtown Baton Rouge to Audubon Park in New Orleans. As the crow flies it is a 68-ish mile, hour+ drive on I-10 from hither to yon. But the meandering path on the Mississippi River levee along River Rd. is a marathon + 100 miles.

Our team will include a bold starter and strong finisher. Somewhere between will be me, the Clydesdale who will lope along like someone is pushing me from behind.

The ultra is a pretty thrilling concept, I must say. It is quite intimidating. It will probably present the most phyically demanding test of my life. And like all major decisions that I have been peer pressured to make, I am gradually warming up to the idea.

The ultra is a Big Thing. You've seen me refer to the Big Thing before. It is something intimidating, "impossible," beyond my reach and capabilities, but the thought of conquering it gives me butterflies. It is scary and exhilerating all at once. Training for a successful finish will require planning and strategy. Lucky for me I am already training for Houston and New Orleans, which should totally prepare me for the ultra.

Wow. My first ultra. I will celebrate with a beer.