American River 50 Mile

Alas, the lottery Gods have chosen my fate and blessed me with 2 of the 4 lotteries I entered this season. Gorge Waterfalls 50k and Lake Sonoma 50 mile will be enjoyed by others but remain on my bucket list.

American River 50 Mile will take the place of Lake Sonoma in April as I build towards Western States. AR50 was my first 50 mile run, and while the course has been altered I am looking forward to improving my time (9:49). 

Now that my schedule is set, I just have to survive the holidays and put my nose to the grindstone. Having a go at these distances without a coach is an exciting prospect. I am already feeling more in tune with my body as I lay the foundations for base training. I feel confident and motivated. Running is fun again, which is good, because I am not very good at it at this point in my fitness.

I have been hearing podcasts and opinions on cross training and strength conditioning occupying a larger part of training for ultras. I have to be careful not to try to incorporate too many different philosophies into my training plan this winter. I could easily sabotage myself. More strength cannot hurt though. Stay tuned for how all of this manifests...

Miwok 100k

The lottery Gods continue to stack 2015 with mighty challenges. Besides my second consecutive running of Western States, I will be toeing the line at the inimitable Miwok 100k. The timing has never been better for my debut at this distance, as it comes eight weeks before States.

Even with considerable rest post-race, I will have the Memorial Day training camp runs smack in the middle of those eight weeks. This sets up the three months going into States. Three weeks of building to a peak week and throwing in a proper rest week following the hard efforts will have me in prime form. I made the mistake of training through Lake Sonoma in 2014, and I'll be listening to my body more this go around. Rest is PARAMOUNT.

Western States Redux: 2015

The lottery Gods must have a special place for me in ultra-runner heaven (or hell), as they have blessed me with a return trip to Western States. I got in the old fashioned way this time: my ONE ticket was pulled from a bucket of over 6600! What a rush. The lottery felt like the price is right with all of the ecstatic winners running up to the stage to grab some swag and get photographed.

I have a ton of work ahead of me. I've lost all of my conditioning, gained 15 pounds since summer, and have been absolutely unmotivated. I did manage to get in four days this week though. Beginning at the beginning again... 2015 will be the year of the silver buckle.