Top of the Calendar

Here we go.

Another year down. Another year ahead. And alot's changed. At this time last year, running wasn't but a blip on the radar due to continuing patellar tendonitis issues in both knees. Running a mile was causing pain not to mention one hundred of them. After a winter of skate skiing and getting out on the road bike on the weekends in the lower elevations around Idaho Falls, I eventually found myself looking at running again in early April. There was a race in Bend, OR, the Peterson Ridge Rumble, a 34 miler which I decided to do as somewhat of a test-run to see how the knees would hold up. I was fairly unprepared for the distance. My longest run in the previous three months was about 25 miles in January. With nothing much since then, I suffered through to the end of the race, feeling completely drained. But the knees held up and thus my entry into the Bighorn 100 was sent in. After muddling my way through to the finish of my first 100 miler last June, I couldn't wait for the next opportunity to utilize what I had learned during that race to improve my experience at that distance. So, naturally, I signed up for the next event I could find: The Leadville 100 seven weeks later in August. And there, armed with better-fitting shoes, stronger fitness, more patient pacing, and better nutrition, I pulled off a 23 hour, 44 minute 100 miler, finishing with a strong last 25 miles. A sub-24 100 was something I had dreamed of doing since I first learned about 100 mile races. Mission accomplished. I had complete satisfaction after that, feeling that if I had to quit running at that point, I would feel like I had acheived the success I had aimed for. And yet, two weeks later, I found myself at the starting line of the Grand Teton 100 after feeling completely recovered since Leadville and after being urged to race again by my friend Lisa, the race director. Well, my right IT band began giving me trouble fairly early on (20 miles into the race) and I decided to drop at mile 83 to prevent further damage and ruin my chances to pace my buddy Trevor to his first 100 mile finish the following weekend at Wasatch. I wish I could have finished, but feel like I made the right decision since I had already commited to pacing Trevor and then was witness to the best display of true grit and determination I have ever seen being out there with him for the second half of his first 100 mile finish.

Then, in the fall, I got the road bike out and logged alot of miles up over Teton Pass on the weekends and after work and got some good cyclocross racing in. I feel like the cross training helped tremendously and after a few long 30 mile+ runs in October and November and a good couple days running in the Gorge during my trip to Portland in early December, I felt ready for another hundy. Physically, mentally... I was tugging at the reins.

The weekend before Christmas, MikeE and I drove to Moab for a quick two-day trip to get some running in on the route of the Moab Red Hot 50k course, a race we're both going to do on Valentine's Day. We got in 6 1/2 hours on Saturday in the Gemini Bridges area along the front half of the course and another 2 hours on Sunday in the Poison Spider Mesa area along the back half of the course. Perfect. There was a shallow layer of snow on the ground and it was sunny and not all that warm, but better running conditions than up in the Tetons. Felt good to be out getting some good miles.

On Gemini Bridges Rd with Arches Nat'l Park in the background

Gemini Bridges

Metal Masher Rd

Above the rim with the La Sal Mtns in the background

MikeE running with his favorite bird

Road trip sock graveyard

Poison Spider Mesa

So what's next for this brand new year? Potentially big things. And lots of them. Maybe. Here's the tentative list of upcoming races. Will they all happen? Well, yes, but whether I'm participating is yet to be determined. Obviously, this is a huge amount of competitive mileage and there are two main questions that will determine how much of this outlandish layout I will actually accomplish: 1. Will I be able to keep my body healthy to allow for this volume of punishment? and 2. Can I afford it?

January 17th - Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 50k+

February 14th - Moab Red Hot 50k+

March 21st - Antelope Island 50 Mile

April 25th - Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 mile (combined with another Grand Canyon R2R2R two days later)

May ? - Still looking for something...

June 6th - Squaw Peak 50 Mile

June 19th - Big Horn 100

July 11th - Hardrock 100 (if I get in via the lottery. Nolan's 14 will be the substitute)

August 3rd-9th - John Muir Trail

August 22nd - Leaadville 100

September 12th - Plain 100

October 2nd - D.R.T.E. 100

At least I've got some goals.

It's still snowing here. I'm going running.