2010.......
It has been a really long time since my last post. My lack of blogging has not been due to a lack of living life. The fall was a blast. In September I had so much fun watching Matt and Charlotte playing soccer. October meant Halloween and we turned our front yard into a haunted graveyard. November saw me run my first sprint triathlon. Over Christmas vacation, Z and I taught Matt and Charlotte how to ski. January has been all about watching Juliette who is now 6 months, start to tune into the world around her! January has also gotten me thinking about what I want to do this year as far races and endurance events in 2010.
2010 is gonna have a different spin than years past. I am changing up some of my approach. I want to do more "adventure" type big runs that are not races. By that I mean stop racing against a clock or competition quite so much. While I am still interested in doing some of that, I also want to use the fitness that I have to see new mountains and trails.
So a rough plan for 2010 looks something like this
Feb- Do some serious downhill work to get ready for the big ditch!
March- Grand Canyon double crossing. This means I will start on the south rim, go to the bottom, climb up to the north rim, and turn back around to the south rim. All in one day. It is about 47 miles with 10000 feet of climbing and 10000 feet of descent. It has been on my "to do" list for about the last eight years.
April- Probably Leona Divide 50 mile race. It is a local ultra that despite living in LA for seven years, I have managed to miss every year. Another option is the Zane Grey 50 in Payson, AZ. It is a really cool race and runs for 50 miles along the base of the Mongollon Rim. Super technical, super hard, but really rewarding. I have done it a couple times and always like heading back.
May- Either the Bishop 100k or Bishop 50m. This is a race that takes place in the eastern Sierras. Again, I have never done it and always wanted to.
June- A decent chunk of June we will be in Hawaii on a family vacation. Not sure what the plan is. Maybe get decent at stand up paddle boarding? Surely run some loops on the HURT 100 course.
July- This is a cool one. There is a group of camps in the Yosemite called the Sierra High Camps. There are about a half dozen of them spread out on a 51 mile loop. I plan to run that loop in a day and soak in the beauty of the High Sierras. I might have to plan this one carefully as some of the trail gets pretty high in terms of elevation. In keeping with this theme, I have never been to Yosemite.
August- My entry from the 2009 Angeles Crest was rolled over to this year. The race was cancelled last year because of the Station Fire. It is a freeby to line up out in Wrightwood and start the race. My plan is to enjoy the day, take it easy, and see whats left in the tank come mile 75. Unlike last year, there will not be a ton of specific prep leading up to this years race. I will come in with no expectations other than to eat and run on some cool trails for about 24 hours. Incidentally the pic on this entry was taken at about mile 93 of the race course last week after a ton of bad weather. Sure is different in summer when it is 100 degrees!
September- Again something different. Because my body will be smoked for a few weeks after Angeles Crest, I am going to do the La Jolla Roughwater Swim. You probably are getting the idea by now. I have never done an open water swimming race. So it will be a first. It will also get me to think about something besides running for a few weeks after Angeles Crest.
October - This I have not planned much. Probably see how my body feels. If I am good, I would like to run the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in either one or two days. We will see.
November - Santa Barbara 9 Trails. This is an excellent race. 35 miles of very technical terrain. About 11000 feet of climbing. The potential snag is that it was cancelled last year because of permit issues stemming from the Santa Barbara wildfires. So this plan could change.
December- I don't have a plan. I know I want to spend a decent chunk of the month getting ready for the HURT 100 in January of 2011.
Stay tuned to see how the year goes. Now time to get some running done!
It has been a really long time since my last post. My lack of blogging has not been due to a lack of living life. The fall was a blast. In September I had so much fun watching Matt and Charlotte playing soccer. October meant Halloween and we turned our front yard into a haunted graveyard. November saw me run my first sprint triathlon. Over Christmas vacation, Z and I taught Matt and Charlotte how to ski. January has been all about watching Juliette who is now 6 months, start to tune into the world around her! January has also gotten me thinking about what I want to do this year as far races and endurance events in 2010.
2010 is gonna have a different spin than years past. I am changing up some of my approach. I want to do more "adventure" type big runs that are not races. By that I mean stop racing against a clock or competition quite so much. While I am still interested in doing some of that, I also want to use the fitness that I have to see new mountains and trails.
So a rough plan for 2010 looks something like this
Feb- Do some serious downhill work to get ready for the big ditch!
March- Grand Canyon double crossing. This means I will start on the south rim, go to the bottom, climb up to the north rim, and turn back around to the south rim. All in one day. It is about 47 miles with 10000 feet of climbing and 10000 feet of descent. It has been on my "to do" list for about the last eight years.
April- Probably Leona Divide 50 mile race. It is a local ultra that despite living in LA for seven years, I have managed to miss every year. Another option is the Zane Grey 50 in Payson, AZ. It is a really cool race and runs for 50 miles along the base of the Mongollon Rim. Super technical, super hard, but really rewarding. I have done it a couple times and always like heading back.
May- Either the Bishop 100k or Bishop 50m. This is a race that takes place in the eastern Sierras. Again, I have never done it and always wanted to.
June- A decent chunk of June we will be in Hawaii on a family vacation. Not sure what the plan is. Maybe get decent at stand up paddle boarding? Surely run some loops on the HURT 100 course.
July- This is a cool one. There is a group of camps in the Yosemite called the Sierra High Camps. There are about a half dozen of them spread out on a 51 mile loop. I plan to run that loop in a day and soak in the beauty of the High Sierras. I might have to plan this one carefully as some of the trail gets pretty high in terms of elevation. In keeping with this theme, I have never been to Yosemite.
August- My entry from the 2009 Angeles Crest was rolled over to this year. The race was cancelled last year because of the Station Fire. It is a freeby to line up out in Wrightwood and start the race. My plan is to enjoy the day, take it easy, and see whats left in the tank come mile 75. Unlike last year, there will not be a ton of specific prep leading up to this years race. I will come in with no expectations other than to eat and run on some cool trails for about 24 hours. Incidentally the pic on this entry was taken at about mile 93 of the race course last week after a ton of bad weather. Sure is different in summer when it is 100 degrees!
September- Again something different. Because my body will be smoked for a few weeks after Angeles Crest, I am going to do the La Jolla Roughwater Swim. You probably are getting the idea by now. I have never done an open water swimming race. So it will be a first. It will also get me to think about something besides running for a few weeks after Angeles Crest.
October - This I have not planned much. Probably see how my body feels. If I am good, I would like to run the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in either one or two days. We will see.
November - Santa Barbara 9 Trails. This is an excellent race. 35 miles of very technical terrain. About 11000 feet of climbing. The potential snag is that it was cancelled last year because of permit issues stemming from the Santa Barbara wildfires. So this plan could change.
December- I don't have a plan. I know I want to spend a decent chunk of the month getting ready for the HURT 100 in January of 2011.
Stay tuned to see how the year goes. Now time to get some running done!
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