Feb. 19: Moab red hot 50K
March 26-27: Moab 100
May 1: Colorado Marathon,
June 16-17: Big Horn
OR
July 8-9: Hardrock
Sept. 9-10: Wasatch
OR
Sept. 22-23: Bear
So as you can see, I'd like to do 3 races at the 100 mile distance this year. I'd like to really push myself and get better at that distance. I had a great Leadville last year (for my first attempt) and am really looking forward to running another 100. My main focus is Hardrock, but it isn't certain that I get in. In fact, it is more likely that I don't get in. So my back-up race to Hardrock is Big Horn. Not that I'm treating Big Horn as less a race, but HR is my priority. Likewise, I'd like to run Wasatch but I may not get into that so, Bear is that back-up.To run either HR or Wasatch would be rad, but I'm also psyched to be thinking about running Big Horn and Bear.
I'm sure you noticed that I have the Moab 100 up there. I'm not signed up yet and I'm not certain that I'm going to do it, but I'm seriously thinking about it. My entire focus for running has been "go out and see something new" and a 5 mile loop through Moab does not immediately seem like it fits this patter because I've been to Moab and running 18 loops through it. Instead it seems like what I should be doing is seeking out point-to-point races, like Wasatch. This is true, but running the same loop ad infinitum (nauseum?) has become appealing. I like the idea of not having to carry anything other than a small water bottle. I also like the idea of talking to people on the course and getting to see where everyone is and how they're doing. On top of it, I think there is something magical about the Colorado Plateau: as the light changes the rocks and the desert come alive. As the shadows move, aspects that had gone unnoticed are emphasized. Even though I'd just be running a 5 mile loop, I'd get used to the trail throughout the day. I'd get to know it well enough to see the subtle changes that happen throughout the day. That sounds appealing.
Also, I signed up for a marathon. I haven't run one of those since Nov. 2009. I don't know what's gotten into me. The appeal of 100 miles is to finish. If you finish a 100 mile race, that's enough so that you don't have to worry about how fast you went. I'm not inclined to go fast and I don't really care about my PR (which seems to be the only thing marathoners care about). But I also feel like I need some validation - like I need to run a sub-3 marathon to be a real runner. As it stands, without ever having ran a sub-3 (or really ran a fast marathon time), I'm just another idiot who has taken up one of the dumbest 'sports'. It sounds silly, but I might as well try, right?
I'm also thinking about adding some other races in there. But I don't want to get overly ambitious. Maybe a 50M in November or something? I was thinking about the Golden Gate Dirty 30, but I don't know anything about it and I like to space races out (because they get expensive). Also, would that be too close to Big Horn? Any suggestions?