Mail-in Registration Deadline is here!
Mood:  surprised
If you are inclined to take advantage of incredibly cheap last-minute airfares, why not come on down to PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL in Tampa, Florida and join the fun of a large gathering of 25+ fun-loving runners and walkers?

There is still time!!!!!!!!!!!

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events (5K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon races), and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds!

DEADLINE TO PUT MAIL-IN REGISTRATIONS IN THE MAIL IS TODAY!!!!

BUT: Online registrations will be accepted up until Friday, January 28, 2005.

You can get complete information on either option at our main Registration
Page: https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

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For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news, including an archive of all the GREAT REASONS YOU SHOULD JOIN US IN TAMPA:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

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CHEAP AIRFARES to Penguin Winter Carnival!
Mood:  incredulous
If anyone is wavering on whether they should come to Tampa for the Penguin Winter Carnival, give them a PUSH! Airfares are INCREDIBLY low right now. I just did a few searches to look at some representative fares on www.orbitz.com and www.travelocity.com - CHECK IT OUT!

Departing Feb. 3, returning Feb. 7:

Chicago - Tampa: $125 nonstop
New York - Tampa: $135 nonstop
Houston - Tampa: $208 nonstop
Los Angeles - Tampa: $225 nonstop
Seattle - Tampa: $252 1 stop

They're not going to get ANY lower than that!!!!! COME ON DOWN!!

Penguin Winter Carnival 2005: Reason 7 to attend!
Registration is open NOW for the Penguin Winter Carnival - either online via www.active.com or by mail!
You can get to either option from our main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

Mail-in registration must be sent no later than Tuesday, January 18, 2005 (1 week from TOMORROW!) in order to arrive on time.
Registration online absolutely CLOSES on Friday, January 28, 2005 (2 weeks from Friday!).

There will be absolutely NO on-site registration after online registration closes - so be sure to get those registrations in NOW! :)

We currently have *23* people registered for all the FUN at the Penguin Winter Carnival and GALA BANQUET, and it would be even more fun if YOU were there too!

There's still time!!! PLANE FARES ARE LOW!!!!!

See our full schedule of activities at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/schedule.htm and sign up today!

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Reason #7 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival:
Fascinating Tampa!

Tampa, meaning *sticks of fire,* is the third largest city in Florida, and the eleventh largest port in the nation. Each year Tampa enjoys the bright and colorful tradition of the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, when a fully rigged pirate ship sails into the bay and *captures* the city. 

Tampa was home to the world's first scheduled commercial airline service.

Some famous Tampa residents:
Babe Didrickson Zaharias, world-famous multi-sport Olympic athlete, lived there as adult until she died in 1956.
Julian Cannonball Adderley, jazz saxophonist, Tampa resident.
Dwight Gooden, baseball pitcher, born in Tampa.
Butterfly McQueen, actress (Prissy in Gone With The Wind), Tampa resident.
Jennifer Capriati, tennis player, from Wesley Chapel (Tampa Area).
Paul Wight, "The Big Show" Pro Wrestler, from Odessa (Tampa Area).
Wade Boggs, baseball player, http://www.floridagolfing.com/fgm/9803/boggs.htm

Nearby Tarpon Springs still maintains its reputation as the largest natural sponge market in the world with annual revenue in excess of $5,000,000. Commercial sponges come chiefly from the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Mediterranean Sea. There are some 9,300 square miles of sponge yielding bottom in the Gulf of Mexico yielding four varieties of sponge.

Alligators grow throughout their lifetime, reaching up to 12 feet in length. Their jaws clamp shut with 3000 pounds of force. They kill their victims by carrying them underwater until they drown. Once endangered, Florida now has millions of alligators, enough that the fall hunting season was recently expanded. During their mating season (late March through early June), the males wander from their watery habitat in search of mates, and can turn up anywhere.

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This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds!

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *

Penguin Winter Carnival: Reason 2 to attend!
Mood:  on fire
Registration is open NOW for the Penguin Winter Carnival - either online via www.active.com or by mail!
You can get to either option from our main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

Mail-in registration must be sent no later than Tuesday, January 18, 2005 (2 weeks from tomorrow!) in order to arrive on time.
Online registration closes on Friday, January 28, 2005 (3 weeks from Friday!).
There will be absolutely NO on-site registration after online registration closes - so be sure to get those registrations in NOW! :)

* * * * * * * * * *
Reason #2 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival:
FLORIDA WEATHER!!!

Typical Balmy Weather Conditions: Perfect for a winter getaway and for some great races!

Average maximum temperature (Late afternoon high): 70 - 72 degrees F (21 - 22 degrees C)

Average minimum temperature (Probably close to this at start of marathon): 54 - 56 degrees F (12 - 13 degrees C)

Average monthly rainfall (inches): 2.5 - 2.9 inches Average days with precipitation: 7 days per month

2004 Race Weekend Weather Conditions: Let's plan for a repeat in 2005!

Saturday, 15K/5K day: High - 65 Low - 42

Sunday, Marathon/Half Marathon day: High - 73 Low - 49

* * * * * * * * * *

This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds!

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *

Reason #1 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival: THE PENGUINS!!!
Mood:  a-ok
Registration is open for the Penguin Winter Carnival - either online via www.active.com or by mail! You can get to either option from our main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

We ask you to please REGISTER EARLY! As a special incentive to do so, we will be giving special penguin KEEPSAKE ITEMS as gifts **ONLY** for those who register before DECEMBER 1st, 2004! That's ***TOMORROW***! So don't delay, register NOW!

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Reason #1 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
THE PENGUINS!!!

When people who have participated on the penguin email lists gather, it's amazing - in fifteen minutes they go from being familiar email addresses to being comfortable companions. You sense the same welcoming and accepting spirit in a group of penguins in real life as you do on the lists.

We'll start by meeting over coffee and gain insights together into our personal fitness at the Penguin Winter Carnival workshops. Then we'll spend an afternoon going in groups to pick up our race packets, perhaps going for a sightseeing or shopping outing in Tampa, maybe sit around the hotel pool and chat with other penguins, and have an ethnic dinner out on the town. If we're running the next day, we may opt to remain back at the hotel and share a pre-race pizza and pasta dinner with other penguins in the hospitality suite.

Race morning always dawns early! We'll gather for a quick pre-race continental breakfast, then walk together over to the start. And what could be more fun for a flock of penguins than to get together to participate in a big race event? Nothing! In Tampa, we will enjoy a sumptuous buffet of race options on Saturday and Sunday. Want to walk your first 5K? There will be a friendly penguin there behind you the whole way, we promise that you won't be last to finish! There will also be penguins cheering you on at the finish line and congratulating you whether you run the 5K, the 15K, the half marathon, or the full marathon distance!

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll push yourself, you'll encourage others, you'll have more fun than you ever expected, and you'll come away from the Penguin Winter Carnival with lifelong memories and fast friendships.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunday evening after we have finished with our meetings and races, Penguin Winter Carnival participants will enjoy a concluding Gala Banquet at Jackson's Bistro in the heart of downtown Tampa. http://www.jacksonsbistro.com/about.html Jackson’s Bistro opened on Harbour Island in 1997 and has been witness to a rapidly changing downtown Tampa. Because it is locally owned and independently managed, Jackson’s can keep up with the demands of an ever evolving Tampa and deliver the upscale experience and tremendous value that our customers demand. At Jackson’s, the idea of wine, wine, and more wine combined with fabulous cuisine, a great social environment, an upscale bar and live entertainment is what has made Jackson’s a Tampa landmark.

At our Gala Banquet we will be distributing most of our door prizes to Penguin Winter Carnival registrants for a fun-filled ending to a great weekend.

* * * * * * * * * *

This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds!

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *

Reason #8 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida: THE RACES
Mood:  bright
Registration is now open for the Penguin Winter Carnival - either online via active.com or by mail! You can get to either option from our main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

We ask you to please REGISTER EARLY! As a special incentive to do so, we will be giving special penguin KEEPSAKE ITEMS as gifts **ONLY** for those who register before DECEMBER 1st, 2004!

* * * * * * * * * *

Reason #8 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
THE RACES!

What could be more fun for a flock of penguins than to get together to participate in a big race event? Nothing! In Tampa, we will enjoy a sumptuous buffet of race options. Want to walk your first 5K? There will be a friendly penguin there behind you the whole way, we promise that you won't be last to finish! There will also be penguins cheering you on at the finish line and congratulating you! Want to tackle your first half marathon? You will have SEVEN full hours on the clock to finish! On the other hand, some experienced runners will be taking on the major race challenge of 38.6 miles in two days - and they will get just as much fabulous support from penguins along the way! You can even team up with fellow penguins in a relay. There will be a distance for everyone at the Penguin Winter Carnival! And we still have 11 weeks to prepare!!

The race options at the Penguin Winter Carnival include:

5K (3.1 miles): Bank of America 5K, Saturday, February 5, 2005, 9:30am. In 2004, there were 5930 finishers at times from 15:26 (top male) and 17:58 (top female) up to those walkers who finished at times over 1:15:00. Medals ARE awarded.

15K (9.3 miles): Bank of America 15K (Gasparilla Distance Classic), Saturday, February 5, 2005, 7:30am. The 3rd largest 15K road race in the USA. In 2004, there were 3846 finishers at times from 46:37 (top male) and 55:20 (top female) up to ~3:45:00. Medals ARE awarded. 

Half Marathon (13.1 miles): Sunday, February 6, 2005, 6:00am start, so that it will be cool on the course. In 2004, there were 1114 finishers at times from 1:18 (top male) and 1:22 (top female) up to over 5 hours. Medals are awarded. Digital clocks and aid stations (water and Gatorade Thirst Quencher Lemon-Lime Flavor) are promised at every mile. You have a full 7 hours on the course to finish, so you could complete the half marathon at a pace of over 30 minutes per mile!   

Marathon (26.2 miles): Bank of America Marathon (formerly Hops Marathon), Sunday, February 6, 2005, 6:00am start, so that it will be cool on the course. In 2004, there were 1028 finishers at times from 2:34 (top male) and 2:54 (top female) up to ~7:25. Medals are awarded. Course closes 7 hours after the start (16 min/mile minimum pace). Digital clocks and aid stations (water and Gatorade Thirst Quencher Lemon-Lime Flavor) are promised at every mile; Clif Shot gels at the 8, 16 & 22-mile marks. From www.marathonguide.com participant ratings for this marathon are: Organization rates 4.5 out of 5 stars; Course rates 4.5 out of 5 stars; Fans rate 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Jeep Liberty Challenge: Complete the 5K, 15K, and the half marathon (25.5 miles total) over two days. Receive a Jeep Liberty Renegade Challenge Award and shirt to be mailed following race weekend. In 2004, there were 114 finishers with cumulative times from 2:31 (top male) and 3:03 (top female) up to 6:39.

PT Cruiser Challenge: Complete the 5K, 15K, and marathon (38.6 miles total) over two days. Receive a Chrysler PT Cruiser Challenge Medallion and shirt to be mailed following race weekend. In 2004, there were 84 finishers with cumulative times from 4:35 (top male) and 5:28 (top female) up to 10:38.

Chick-fil-A Udder Half Marathon Team Relay: New in 2005, a team competition that will provide participants the opportunity to complete the distance of their choice as individuals, but also enjoy the weekend with fellow penguins as a team in the 15K, 5K and half marathon. A team will consist of three people and each team member will select one of the distances to run or walk. The three finish times (15K, 5K & half marathon) of the individual team members will be combined for a team score. Team members will receive the same medals and tshirts as those participating as individuals and will also be given access to the catered and private Team Hospitality Tent on both the Bank of America 15K & 5K, and Bank of America Marathon & Half Marathon Race Days. 


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Below is one in a series of letters which we will share from our good friend Ellie Hamilton as she begins a new life in the months leading up to the Penguin Winter Carnival. Thank you, Ellie, for taking the time to keep us up to date! Check in on her continuing adventures and see her pictures at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/news.htm

On the Road #4: Ellie's Evolution Continues with the Imminent Eruption of Yet Another Running Incarnation by Ellie Hamilton

Watching for my next evolution to manifest itself is a little like watching Mt. St. Helens, listening to the rumbles, wondering whether it is really going to flare or just blow steam.

Am I really going to do what I think I am going to do?

This started over the controversy of whether Steve and I would be in Chicago for the Chicago Marathon. You see, last winter when we were planning our imminent retirement into nomadism, I had asked whether we could be in Chicago the second weekend in October. Steve answered blithely, "We can be wherever we want whenever we want!" So I registered for the Chicago Marathon and had dreams of our following marathons and triathlons around the country as I ran one, or more, in every state.

Wrong. Early in our travels Steve began making noises about not wanting to be tied down to Chicago in October, wanting to be able to be where we wanted "whenever," rather than having to be in a certain place at a certain time. We settled it by extending our time in the West and going farther than we'd planned, to delay our return East, so we'd be in the right place at the right time for my marathon. It was a wonderful trip and we're both glad we did it that way, but it was a concession on his part. He wanted to go back to Maryland. We were both anxious to see our family but I'd put a lot of eggs into my Chicago basket.

I'd made a startling discovery: I won't be able to go wherever I want to run whatever event I want because that will limit us. I am hemmed in by our freedom.

I was depressed for a while. I thought and thought, and cried for a whole day as I decided that after a final show at Tampa I'd give up marathoning and triathloning, and just do fitness running and touring biking. I felt something close to despair, a feeling that there was something I desperately wanted in life that I'd just learned I could never have. I told Steve my decision and he was quiet. After a day or so he came up with the first rumblings that became the heralding tremors of the evolution. He said:

"Well, you're going to be in marathon condition for Chicago. Why not keep up your conditioning and then you'll be able to run anything that's going on wherever we are?"

The seismograph in my brain started to scribble and I sent my internal researchers to investigate. Why not? This is doable. We're easily in a different state every month or two. After Thanksgiving we'll be following the path of warm climate, staying in Tampa for January and February, enabling winter running without ice and slush, winter biking --an advantage I've never had, that relatively few athletes have. For several years I have had a personal travel policy for races: However long the event will take me to complete, is a reasonable length of travel time. For example, an hour's travel time for a 10K; a couple hours for a half-marathon; 4 or 5 for a marathon. Surely, wherever we park for a month or so, there will be something to enter within those travel parameters, something that I can still register for. Most 10K's and even a lot of marathons and triathlons have day-before registration.

This could work. There's no reason why it shouldn't. I've run a jillion marathons, sometimes 3 a year... why not one every month or so, functioning as that month's long run and the training run for the next marathon? I think we are onto something here.

There's one in Huntington, WV, this weekend, November 14, a month after Chicago and about a 4-hour drive from "home" in Maryland where we are for November. Chicago hopefully prepared me for Huntington; Huntington for whatever I find around the Charleston, SC area in December, which, along with whatever I find in January around Tampa, will train me for the Challenge of PWC weekend.

This could work. The rumbles and tremors are starting to shake my whole spirit with excitement. This could be the beginning of the eruption of a whole new lifestyle as a runner. It will be my third running incarnation. My first was my competitive era where I had to set a PR not only at every race but on every training run. My second came after a 4-year lag during nursing school, and took the form of the go-as-you-feel, no-pressure Penguin runner, thanks to my newfound friends of the same species. This will be my "aging runner" retirement incarnation: the regular long-distance endurance athlete who trains for everything in general rather than something in particular.

I won't be aiming for distant events which close registration months in advance. I'll be blooming where I'm planted.

Ellie


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This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds!

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *

Reason #8 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida: Tampa Bay!
Mood:  happy
Registration is now open for the Penguin Winter Carnival - either online via active.com or by mail! You can get to either option from our main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm

We ask you to please REGISTER EARLY! As a special incentive to do so, we will be giving special KEEPSAKE ITEMS as gifts **ONLY** for those who register before DECEMBER 1st, 2004!

* * * * * * * * * *
Reason #8 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
Tampa Bay!

Tampa, meaning *sticks of fire,* is the third largest city in Florida. Tampa Bay is the eleventh largest port in the nation. 

Each year Tampa enjoys the bright and colorful tradition of the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion, when a fully rigged pirate ship sails into Tampa Bay and *captures* the city.This year it will occur on the weekend before the Penguin Winter Carnival on January 29, 2005.  http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com

Port of Tampa/Tampa Bay site with maps and links to buoy sensor data: http://ompl.marine.usf.edu/PORTS/ports.html

A number of major cruise lines service the Port of Tampa, including Carnival Cruise Lines http://www.carnival.com which offers 4 and 5 day cruises to Cozumel and Grand Cayman departing from Tampa in January and February, 2005. Why not combine your trip to the Penguin Winter Carnival with a luxury cruise?

Of course, a large number of daytime sightseeing and fishing cruises are also available: http://www.onlinemls.com/pages/tampa_bay_area_cruises.htm If there is sufficient interest, we will arrange a group to go together on Saturday afternoon.

Tampa Bay also hosts the world's longest over-the-water recreation trail (2.6 miles long - 13,770.5 ft), the Friendship Trail Bridge: http://www.friendshiptrail.org/

But many of us will get our best view of Tampa Bay as we run or walk alongside it during our race!

* * * * * * * * * *

Last call - TODAY! Join us for the Get Faster At 5K Challenge! If you're planning to work on improving your speed this winter, why not join us and use the next 8 weeks in enhancing your performance at the 5K distance? See https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/faster_5k.htm for details!

* * * * * * * * * *

This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds! Race options include your selection of 5K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon distances over two days. Or to triple your fun in Tampa, form a relay of three members, with the members completing a 5K, 15K, or half marathon! There are even special challenge awards for those intrepid (i.e., crazy) folks who would like to tackle a 5K, a 15K, *and* a half-marathon or marathon within two days.

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/blog/

Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *

Reason #9 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida: YBOR CITY
Mood:  party time!
Reason #9 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
YBOR CITY
http://www.ybor.org/

Ybor City is Tampa's famous National Historic Landmark District. Florida's Latin Quarter experience beckons you back to another era. Wrought iron balconies, globe streetlights, brick-lined walkways and the majestic architecture of cigar factories, social clubs and other unique buildings, provide a glimpse into an era rich with culture and history. Today, Ybor City is a shopping, dining and entertainment district where the ancient art of premium hand-rolled cigar making lives on. It also boasts a nightlife as colorful as Spanish Flamenco dancers.

http://www.ybortimes.com/history.cfm tells more about the area:

You'll know you've entered Ybor City when the streets turn from asphalt to brick and the lampposts from concrete to ornate wrought iron. When the atmosphere turns from button-down to bottoms up. No sterile high-rises here. Ybor City's buildings bespeak a bygone era when craftsmen prided themselves on quality workmanship. At every turn are elements of classical and Mediterranean architecture.

This multicultural enclave started out as 40 acres of swamp and scrub northeast of Tampa. The name Ybor (pronounced EE-bore) belongs to one its founders. In 1886 cigarmakers Vicente Martinez-Ybor and Ignacio Haya moved their cigar factories from Key West to Tampa. Tampa had everything the cigarmakers needed: a railroad, a port and a warm climate that provided a natural humidor for the tobacco leaf. Once the cigarmaking was under way, Ybor City became home to Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrants who worked in more than 140 cigar factories in and around the area, producing 250-million cigars a year. For more than half a century, Ybor City was the "Cigar Capital of the World." While the cigar industry was thriving, Ybor City was alive and kicking with Latin culture and language. Residents depended on clubs such as the Centro Espanol, Centro Asturiano and Unione Italiana for all their medical and social needs. Many of those buildings have been renovated and are in use today. Many cigar workers lived in and owned small homes called casitas. Three of the casitas have been restored and are part of the Ybor City State Museum at 1818 Ninth Ave. The museum also offers walking tours of Ybor City.

The city's past is still very much a part of the present. One of the city's renovated cigar factories is home to Ybor Square, a mall filled with dining and retail establishments at 1901 N 13th St. The 113-year-old building retains its original brick walls and wood beams and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Ybor City Brewing Co. is located in another renovated cigar building, a 104-year-old brick structure at 2205 N 20th St. Its Ybor Gold has become a favorite beer among locals.

Ybor City is a scant 1.6 miles from our host hotel for Penguin Winter Carnival and participants will likely be heading there in small groups on both Friday and Saturday nights for happy hour, scrumptious ethnic dinners, and (for those not running the next day) perhaps even staying out into the wee hours!

* * * * * * * * * *

The Mail-in Registration form for the Penguin Winter Carnival is now available online! You can get to it from the main Registration Page at https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/registration.htm Mailed-in registration is available for the price of a postage stamp. Be sure to print out and use the official registration form and put it in the mail no later than January 18, 2005 (or November 26, 2004 to be eligible to receive special keepsake items in your conference packet).

You can also register via active.com for a nominal fee. http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969 Register online by December 1, 2004 to be eligible for keepsake items. You will have to go through the registration process once for each person you are registering.

Family members must register together to qualify for the discount. Be sure to also register for the banquet at the same time!

Thanks! Please, everyone, we ask you to REGISTER EARLY so that we can have accurate head counts as well as some nominal operating funds in advance so that we can get everything ready for a REALLY FABULOUS meeting!

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This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds! Race options include your selection of 5K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon distances over two days, plus special challenge awards for those intrepid (i.e., crazy) folks who would like to tackle a 5K, a 15K, *and* a half-marathon or marathon within two days; or a relay of three members, with one each completing a 5K, 15K, and half marathon.

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:


Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

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RSS Feed Now Available
Mood:  incredulous
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Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida: Reason Ten to Attend!
Mood:  cool
Reason #10 to come to Penguin Winter Carnival, February 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida:
SHELLFISH! Including...

Blue Crab: Found along Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts, it is served in both its hard and (more commonly) soft shell state.

Florida lobster: known as the spiny lobster, it has no claws like the Maine variety. The tails are broiled and served with melted butter. Delicious!

Scallops: sweet, succulent meat that is actually the muscle between two shells. Scallops are found in Gulf waters and along the east coast of Florida. Scallops are served lightly breaded and sautéed, grilled, broiled, in soups and served on salads.

Gulf shrimp: About a third of a billion pounds of shrimp are caught by shrimpers across the nation each year. At $1.50 to two dollars a pound dockside, the nation’s annual shrimp harvest puts a half billion dollars in the pockets of U.S. fishermen. The nation’s most productive shrimp fishery is the Gulf of Mexico where fishermen from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida harvested 438 million pounds of brown, white and pink shrimp in 1995 and 1996 combined, worth over $838 million dockside according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Florida Hoppers: Hoppers are Pink Shrimp caught along the northern Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. As a species, Pink Shrimp are like chameleons- they change color to match their surroundings. Along the panhandle, and around Cape Canaveral, the sands are golden brown, and so are the hoppers.

Gulf Whites: Gulf Whites are the kings of the shrimp world, and are the standard against which all other shrimp are measured. In the days before farm-raised shrimp, when the big cities of the Northeast and the Midwest wanted shrimp, they wanted Gulf Whites. Chances are, if you fell in love with shrimp as a kid, you were eating Gulf Whites.

Crawdads. Beth Terry says: "I think Yankees may call them crayfish. We boil them, peel them, eat the tails, then suck the heads. Cold beer is the condiment of choice."

And not only is most shellfish tasty, it's also (depending on the preparation) high in protein, low in fat, and GOOD for you! :) Why not sample some while you're in Tampa?

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The fourth in a series of introductions to the members of the people who are taking the Penguin Winter Carnival from crackpot idea to reality:

The Penguin Winter Carnival Organizing Committee Members:
Meet Nancy Toby!

Nancy Toby started the new millenium as an overweight couch potato - and since becoming part of the penguin community, has been transformed to an active (albeit still overweight) adult-onset athlete. Formerly a university assistant professor and researcher, then a government employee, she had a solid decade of inactivity under her belt (literally) before learning of the penguins in January, 2000. They encouraged her in countless ways and demonstrated to her what "The Courage To Start" was really all about - the personal connections that helps one get out there each day despite feeling like you really don't want to. As an internet junkie for years, she was drawn naturally to the interactions taking place on the penguin email lists - and joined several of them.

She began walking down to the corner and back, and worked up to the 5K distance at the Shamrock Sportsfest in March 2000, alternately walking and jogging. Somehow, with the help of her fellow penguins, she stuck with it this time and worked up to doing the Kiawah Half Marathon by the end of the year.

She kept going. While she had run a bit in college, that was long ago. This "sticking to it" had never happened before.

The next year she completed four marathons: Myrtle Beach, Maui (two days after she got married), Marine Corps, and Kiawah.

In 2002 she concentrated on half marathons, completing them in 12 states, plus the Rock and Roll Half Marathon at the Penguin World Conference in Toronto, Canada. She even tried a couple of sprint triathlons. However, late in 2002 she was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her foot, which put her in an air cast for 7 weeks. Then while beginning her walking rehabilitation, she got pregnant. With triplets. At age 45. Although the exercise of the past 3 years had put her in much better health than she otherwise would have been, this was a very high risk pregnancy.

She was hospitalized for a month in May of 2003 at week 26 of her pregnancy - and while totally confined to a hospital bed, still was helped along by communications with the penguin community via a laptop - and many kind cards and letters sent from caring penguins. Sadly, her daughter Anna only survived six months due to the complications of extreme prematurity. Another daughter, Elisabeth, required open heart surgery at five months of age. Her third daughter, Catherine, also had a slow start, but was fortunately in good health from the beginning.

In October 2004 Nancy is being joined by a number of fantastic penguin friends who are participating in the Chicago Marathon and "Waddling for Anna" in remembrance. Toddlers Catherine and Elisabeth will stay home with Dad, but are doing great. (Photos of the girls can be seen at http://home.comcast.net/~nancytoby/photos.htm).

She hopes to give back a small part of the support and good cheer the penguin community has freely given her through the years by working on the organization of the Penguin Winter Carnival - and hopes to see many old friends and make many new penguin friends in Tampa next February.

* * * * * * * * * *

This is one of a series of newsletters about the PENGUIN WINTER CARNIVAL, FEBRUARY 4-6, 2005 in Tampa, Florida.

Penguin Winter Carnival is a fun social meeting of runners, walkers, friends, and family attending the Run Tampa 2005 events, and will include special Friday morning workshops and get-togethers throughout the weekend. We welcome participants of all speeds! Race options include your selection of 5K, 15K, half marathon, and marathon distances over two days, plus special challenge awards for those intrepid (i.e., crazy) folks who would like to tackle a 5K, a 15K, *and* a half-marathon or marathon within two days; or a relay of three members, with one each completing a 5K, 15K, and half marathon.

For complete details and periodic updates, bookmark these websites:
Penguin Winter Carnival website:
https://www.angelfire.com/ult/pwc2005/
Penguin Winter Carnival news:


Join the Penguin Winter Carnival email discussion group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/PenguinWinterCarnival/?yguid=103428986

Online registration for the Penguin Winter Carnival is at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1163969

Calling all snowbirds! Fly south in 2005 to join the flock for fun, friends, and frolic! All are welcome!

* * * * * * * * * *