Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler

Whether you refer to it as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, one thing's for sure:

It shouldn't be freaking 6 degrees on March 4th.

You know, it's funny what a young man recollects. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. I don't remember what the temperature was last year on Mardi Gras, but I remember it was February 12th, and there's no reasonable explanation that, on a date 3 weeks later, it had to be this cold.

In other news, it was Amy Horst's birthday, which apparently coincides with Mardi Gras every 11 years. That's pretty neat.

While Club Challenge already feels like it was a year ago, it was only last week. There were a handful of races this weekend, most notably the Tim Kennard River Run. This 10 miler somewhere out near Salisbury got the entire Peck family out racing. Graham has been on a tear recently, ripping this winter a new one. He loves winning, and he takes great joy in beating his friend in a one-up race. Graham and his friend Cam ran the first 4 miles before Graham's superior fitness took over. He began to separate himself, dropping 10+ seconds every 2 miles. He ran his last 2 miles in sub 5:10 pace, and crossed the finish line as the winner in a new PB of 52:47. For his effort, he earned the AutoZone In the Zone Award.

Megan DiGregorio had fun being the lone leader for the women, as she easily cruised to the win in a new personal best as well - 1:02:47. Denise Knickman finished 2nd in 1:07:30.

Kaylyn Peck completed the ladies' sweep, finishing 3rd. She ran with her dad Henry as the two crossed in 1:08:30. And Mrs. Peck crushed her Club Challenge time by 2 minutes, running 1:22.

Meanwhile, out in the desert, Collin Anderson ran the Phoenix Marathon. He was looking for redemption after last year, when supreme fitness was overshadowed by an ill-timed cold. He ran 2:50 last year, which was still pretty solid. This year he's had some terrific months of uninterrupted, uninjured training and that made a big difference. Despite some lousy conditions he made it to the race unscathed and finished 12th again, but this time in a huge new PB of 2:42:07!

This earned Collin the Purple Drink Athlete of the Week.

Quiet intermission weekend ahead as we begin to enter "spring" race season (doesn't feel much like spring). March 15/16 weekend is big, and Cherry Blossom is right around the corner. And, for once, it appears as if the peak cherry blossoms may not occur until AFTER the race!

Let the good times roll, y'all.