I think I might be crazy

I'm a big fan of Bicycling magazine (also Mountain Biking, which often comes with it).  I've had a subscription for a couple years now.  Whenever I read about people's stories of cycling, getting healthier, accomplishing things they didn't know they could, new bikes and gear, fun rides, tours all over the world, charities they've created...it all gets me excited about cycling.  It's like bike porn (except having nothing to do with sex)!

When the hubby and I travelled to St. Louis a couple months ago, I bought a copy of Runners World in the airport.  It gave me the same sense of concentrated fitness reading joy as Bicycling, so I decided to subscribe.  I've received issues for two months now, and it's got me thinking about things that I normally think are crazy.  Like running a marathon.  I did a half marathon a few years ago, and I thought that was enough.  But now there's this new athletic accomplishment that I'm starting to think I can and want to do.  On top of the new athletic accomplishments that I've already decided to make a goal of doing.  What the heck?!  What's wrong with me?  ;)

So my dilemma is that I have too many new things that I want to try next summer.  I just can't fit them all in.  I've been trying to narrow down the list of events that I want to do, because I know I can't fit the training in for everything.  Here's what I'm considering:

• The Ann Arbor Triathlon.  I was so inspired to try a tri at the end of this summer, that I'm bound and determined to do one in the early summer of 2010.  The Ann Arbor Tri includes a trail run which is fun, is close to my mom's house and takes place on June 6.
• The Muddy Buddy Detroit (or Chicago).  My friend, Cat, introduced me to these fun 2-person run/mountain bike/obstacle/mud pit races, and they sound like a total blast.  I'd really like to race one with her.  The Detroit is on July 11 and the Chicago is on August 1.
• The Dunes Duathlon.  This is the one I did in September and won second in my age group.  It was so much fun, that I really want to do it again and see how I stack up in the next higher age group.  This race is on September 18.
• The Iceman Cometh Challenge.  Also at the tail end of the season this year, I got pretty excited about mountain biking.  I intend to do more of it next summer.  So, my co-worker introduced me to the Iceman, a 28-mile mountain bike ride in northern Michigan on November 6, and we're planning to put together a team to ride it.
• I'm also considering throwing in any of the following depending on how I feel at that time: the Stealcase Duathlon (April 25), the Tri Del Sol (July 17), the Holland Hundred again (July ?), the Reeds Lake Triathlon (September ?), an XTERRA event and the Grand Rapids Marathon (October ?).

I think doing a triathlon, then a couple duathlon type events, then a bike race makes sense training-wise.  I won't be training in primarily one sport and then trying to switch sports mid-summer.  And I've got a good 4 or 5 months through the winter and spring to get ready for the first event in June, and then I can just maintain that fitness through the summer.

I just don't see training for a marathon in all of that.  I'd want 4-6 months after I had already been running regularly for a while to feel confident about a 26 miler.  Sigh.  Maybe I'll have to wait till 2011.  Or maybe I'll come to my senses before then and decide that running a marathon is not a merit badge that I really need.  Or maybe I'll burn out in July and throw all the planned events out the window in favor of riding and running for just plane fun.  I guess we'll see!