Western States 100 Mile



Crossing the river at Rucky Chucky, source

Finishing up an evening walk with Twirly yesterday, I received the following email from my running club, the Sierra Trailblazers:

"Due to a change mandated by the new WS race director, we couldn't hold our drawing during the club Christmas potluck on December 14. He wants a name for our automatic entry by December 1, which isn't too far off. So we have now held our club drawing and will send the winners name to the race director.

The winner who is now in the 2014 WS100 Miler is:"

ME!

So my wait, and the anxious build up to the lottery, has been truncated. Training starts now! I am honored to represent the Trailblazers. I cut my teeth in the Gold Country Grand Prix, and now I can return the favor. This continues my serendipitous progression into ultra distances. After my first 50k, I signed up for my first 50 miler. With one 50 miler under my belt, I am registered for a 100.

While I am excited to begin this next level in my adventure, my coach was less than enthusiastic, pointing out "it's a lot to bite off". As if I wasn't aware of my rapid rate of advancement. October marked one year with Footfeathers, and while he did support and prepare me well for American River 50, the past few months have seen little in the way of support and communication. Moving forward to the challenge of 100 miles will require a supporting team with effusive energy and I need to feel like they are on my side. With that in mind, at the risk of sounding dramatic, North Face 50 will be my last race with Coach Tim Long.