2010 Race Schedule

Well I guess I should have posted this already, but since so much has changed anyway, there’s not much of a rush.  So here it goes.

March 27, 2010
Fells Trail Ultra, 40 miles — 7:08:00; 2nd place (tied with Joe Carrara)
Joe, Mike, and myself headed down to the Boston suburbs for an epic trail race on some nasty terrain.  8 mile loops, let you decide if you wanted to do 4 laps (for the 50k/32 mile race) or 5 laps for a 40 miler.  Joe and I were pretty set on doing 40 miles as this was more of a training run for us.  The first place finisher was out to blaze away, and ran a crazy pace on such rough terrain.  Joe and I would have been hard pressed to even think about keeping up with this guy if we had been in shape to race at that pace.  Phew!  Mike ended up doing the 4 lap/50k/32 mile race and won it!  Joe and I ran together for all but the first lap which Mike and I did together, and finished shoulder-to-shoulder.  We had a great time, were blown away that such a technically demanding trail could be located in the suburbs, and vowed to return to the well run, challenging event next year (or perhaps sooner as they offer other races as well).

May 8, 2010
Wapack Trail Ultra, 50 miles — Unable to race due to sickness
So I got pretty sick 4 weeks before the Wapack, and the sickness stuck around.  I was forced to drop out and couldn’t race the epic trail.  Bummer.  Joe and Mike did though, but only ended up running 42 miles.  Conditions were atrocious and the terrain pretty rugged.  Joe’s knee just couldn’t take it…neither could Mike’s for that matter.  Next year.

July 17-18, 2010
Vermont 100 Ultra, 100 miles — Unable to race due to sickness
So I was pretty sick, remember?  Well I was forced to drop out of the Vermont 100 as well because I deemed my unknown sickness that lasted 7 weeks or so to be too much of a potential hazard.  This was my centerpiece race for the 2010 season so I’m pretty distraught that I was forced to drop out and have been in a bit of rut since first contracting my unknown illness.  The VT 100 would have been my first 100 as well, so in the end, pulling out of the race was for the best as my training all but stopped and I’ve barely run since getting sick.  Next year.  I plan on taking on the race next summer in full force, hopefully making a strong showing.  Watch out Jack Pilla, I’m coming for ya!

September 26, 2010
Vermont 50 Ultra, 50 miles or 50 kilometers
The VT 50 was my first ultra last year, and I did surprisingly well in the 50k race finishing 4th overall and 1st in my age category.  The conditions were atrocious last year with loads of rain, wind, and mud.  It was an epic race, and I had a total blast.  I’ll definitely be back this year, hopefully sans shoes.  That’s right, since having to drop out of Wapack and the VT 100, I’ve made up my mind that I want to race the VT 50 barefoot (or possibly with Vibram FiveFingers).  That will require some significant training and I haven’t decided on the 50k or 50 miler yet.  I’m hoping my feet will be in good enough shape to do the 50 miler, but time will tell.

November __, 2010
Stone Cat Ale 50 and Marathon Trail Race, 50 miles (and 26.2 miles)
I ran the Stone Cat Ale 50 last year as well as my first 50 mile race and it proved a fantastic race.  A nice fairly level course without much climbing proved a super fast race.  4 12.5 mile loops make for a very manageable race.  I’d like to go back this year in top condition and gun for a fast time.  It would be great to run a sub 7:30 50 miler, but I’d be happy just to race period.  The G.A.C. puts on a great event and can’t wait to get back down to MA for it.  This one I’ll probably be doing in shoes.

The rest of my schedule is to be determined.  I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championships in the Marin Headlands (San Francisco) last December and was blown away by the race and its spectacular views.  I’d love to go back in better shape with more hill training and see if I can crush.  The best racers in the country (and world too) come out for it so there’s quite a bit of talent there.  My experience last year was so incredible though (thanks to Jake, Harriet, and Michael Moritz) that I may not want to jinx anything and skip it this year.  I’ve been considering doing a marathon in the late fall/early winter since I’ve never actually raced one.  Seems to be perfect timing…at the end of my ultra season and all, and I might just be in killer shape to knock out a solid time.  The Las Vegas Marathon is December 7 and looks to be a total blast — head out to Vegas, run a super fast marathon on a super flat course in ideal conditions, and then do Vegas for the weekend.  Sounds pretty fun.  Or perhaps another marathon somewhere else.  I’ve got to keep my eyes peeled for races.  I’d love to do a 100 miler before 2011, but we’ll see (or a 24 hour race for that matter).  But for now, I need to let my legs rest, heal, and then start my barefoot training full time.  Mix that with lots of biking and a bit of strength training, and I should be able to race both XC bike and ultras quite well this year.

Of course in the end, all I really want to do is have fun.  And I can’t think of a better way to have fun than run all day and all night.  I just want to run, run some more, not stop running, and then run a bit more.  Yum!

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