The year ahead

Well it's been four months since the Hundred in the Hood and I haven't raced since. I have been running strong and training hard for the upcoming season. Training is going very well and has been especially enjoyable having a training partner-Russ- for all my long runs this winter. We have logged a couple of 20's, a 23, a 26 and a 30 miler in the last couple of months on our regular Monday long runs. That 26 miler we did on Jan. 18th was especially memorable.

We started at 1 pm on Wildwood Trail in Forest Park. We did two out and backs starting at the Germantown rd. trail head at the end of Leif Erickson rd. The first 13 miles was fine, but a little harder and slower than we anticipated because the trail was extremely wet and sloppy. When we headed out for out and back number two, we knew it would get dark so we took flashlights. The trail this time was the worst I have ever seen it as we were running in one continuous mud puddle it seemed. It got dark as we headed back still with a 10k to run. Running on very sloppy single track trail in the dark is difficult. That six miles was as difficult a six miles as I have ever run. We made it back to the trail head for a nice 5 hour marathon. A lot slower than we anticipated, but with another experience to put in the bank for those difficult moments late in a race.

My mileage for the last 4 weeks has been: 50,55,60, and 64 with some speed work once per week on the track. I have a mileage goal for 2010 of 3000. I did 2700 last year, which was my most ever. My race schedule looks like this for 2010.

Feb 20----- Hagg Lake 50 k
April 11---- Race for the Roses 1/2 marathon
May 15---- Watershed Preserve 12 hour race
June 26-27-Western States 100--pacing/media/spectating
July24------Pctu 50 mile
Sept 18-19--Pine to Palms 100 mile

And maybe one or two others.

It should be fun!!!