Some serious stuff going on!

Timing is everything.  Can't make this stuff up.  Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from the Little Rock Marathon race directer.  Part of the email read:

"We would like to inform you that our 2015 Finishers Medals are in jeopardy of not making it to Arkansas in time for our race. While we and our medal partner met every critical deadline, our medal is caught up in the middle of a labor strike between the longshoreman union and the Long Beach Port Authority."  Labor Dispute Article

I just assumed it would be the weather, and/or traffic, that everyone would be screaming about.  Personally, I don't care, those things are dangerous.  Look, it's the size of a large skillet and weights 2.5 pounds!  Just what you want around your neck after running 26.2 miles.

Unruly buggers photo bombing

Last year, my wife punched the gas, ENTERING THE DRIVEWAY, and the medal fell from the dash.  Guess who was sitting in the passenger seat and can't move his legs?  Luckily, my shin bore the brunt of the impact or we'd be Fred Flintstoning it today.

Only injury I got was after the marathon from the 2.5 lb medal

The good news is, the weather still looks terrible and after February all my weekend obligations are over...that means fishing is coming back into my life.  Excited!!

Not again...

David Knapp at The Trout Zone posted an interesting read today about winning some cool ice cleats from another blogger, Windknots & Tangled Lines. (The really cool bloggers give away free stuff - disclaimer...I'm not cool so...)  Anyway, back on point, David's post about ice cleats got me thinking about the Little Rock Marathon which happens a week from Sunday, March 1, 2015.  I'm running the half in 2015, I try to alternate between LR's full and half marathons and completed the full in 2014.  Now you're asking yourself...if you're still reading...what does this have to do with ice cleats?

Do I need to explain this?!

I'll share my thoughts.  Let's go back to 2014 and take a look at the weather.  It was suppose to be a warm start around 50F and cooling off as a strong front pushed into the area around noon.  Let's just skip to the point and say it was cold and raining when the race started and dropped to near freezing in a couple hours.

I really never understood the confusion...it was obviously re-routed!!

The weather got so bad that the race directors decided to, some argue, "cancel" the race.  Other's believe it was "re-routed" to get runners off the course quickly.  I was lucky enough to have been past the cut-off point and avoided all the confusion.  Finished the race in under 4hrs, freezing cold and soaking wet, but still smiling!!!

Current forecast for Friday, Feb 27th.  Fun times!!

Fast forward to 2015.  I have been checking the 10 day forecast as I'm sure every runner does before a race, and surprise, looks like I might need to borrow some ice cleats (I noticed they fit around running shoes).  I understand it's way out there...but based off past experience, I'm planning on snow and ice.  AND, adding to the medal bouquet.

Last years "Epic" wouldn't fit into the vase.

There's a glass vase under there somewhere.  Little Rock puts on a great event.  I have run marathons in 7 states and can say LR is top notch!!  Did you happen to find the "unruly buggers" in the above picture (this is a fish'n blog, right)?  Their terrible, always get'n in my stuff!