Thursday, April 30, 2009

Let the Races Begin!

Spring is in the air and I've caught the race bug...
Now that the weather is getting nicer here in Colorado, I am upping my mileage and planning weekend excursions left and right!

This Saturday is the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run (50 miles) in Buena Vista, and having just come off a decent 50 mile performance in Fruita two weeks ago I am excited for the oppurtunity to set a new PR. The course has approximatly 5000 ft of vertical gain which means it should be the easiest 50 I have ever run. The MAS 50 mile race last fall had approximately 11,000ft of vertical gain along with a hail/sleet/lightning storm, followed by 90+ degree heat. Then there was the Desert R.A.T.S. 50 which had approximately 8,000ft of gain and moderately hot temps.
You can see why I'm looking forward to this one so much! I'll give a full report next week.

While on the subject of upcoming races, here is my schedule for after this Saturday's race:
  • 5/2/09 - Volunteering at the Greenland 50k
  • 5/17/09 - Colfax Marathon or the Sky Mesa Trail Marathon (Probably decided by a coin toss because one of them is going to be beautiful, and one of them is going to be fast, i.e. potential Boston qualifier)
  • 6/20/09 - Mt. Evans Road Race (14 miles)
  • 7/11/09 - Wildest Run in the West, Auburn, CA (100k)
  • 7/25/09 - Minnesota Voyageur Trail Ultra (50 miles)
  • 8/15/09 - Pikes Peak Ascent (13+ miles)
  • 8/22/09 - LEADVILLE 100 (The crown jewel of my 2009 races.! 100 miles)
  • 9/19/09 - North Face Endurance Challenge, Washington, D.C. (50 miles)
  • 10/3/09 - XTERRA Trail Marathon, Colorado Springs, CO

There seem to be some gaps that need to be filled in around June so I'll keep my eyes peeled for at least one more good challenge!

P.S. It's safe to say that I will either be beat up and exhausted by the time Leadville rolls around, or I will be an indestructable machine who is impervious to pain. I am definitely hoping for the latter! Something I have learned recently is that having Anton Krupicka as a roommate is definitely a humbling experience..., that guy is hard to keep up with!

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