Breaking It Up



(R to L) Kristy, me, Ron, Lindsy & Bobbie at the
Run For The Bridges Trail Marathon 3/17/12



Okay, fine, I'll do it.  I'll throw out the old cliche' because it does fit this post.  It's a marathon, not a sprint!  Last year when I set my goals for the year I broke it in half.  I planned to work on some marathons in the spring/early summer to get my base built up to where I want it and then the late summer/fall would be back to Ultras.  Then in February when I set a new biggest goal of the year, the Hawk 50 mile, I broke the year into thirds instead.  The new plan was several marathons in the 1st third of the year (Jan 1-May 6), having fun and building up training through the 2nd third (May 7-Sep 7) to finally be ready for the 50 miler followed by recovery and some fun for the final third of the year (Sep 8-Dec 31).  Well, that 1st third is nearing an end.  This Sunday, May 6th, I'll run the Lincoln Marathon which will be my 4th marathon of the year.  Having these 4 marathons in 4 months to start the year has definitely forced me to build my base mileage back up to where I wanted before I really get into the heart of Ultra training for the year.  I'm nowhere near ready for my 50 miler just yet, but that's what the second third is for; right now I'm just excited to have had such a fun and great start to the year.

My Ultra Mentor Sherrie & me at
Mrs. Robinson's Romp Trail 10k 3/3/12

As this portion of the year's goals comes to an end I find myself in an interesting mental position right now.  I've been having a blast training with friends, running tons of miles, racing with new and old friends, generally rediscovering the love of running that I lost a little after the races I struggled so much in at the end of last year.  I've had so much fun that I am completely jazzed up to get started with training up through the summer for that huge 50 mile goal.  On the other hand, I've been going so hard almost non-stop all year that I need a little break.  So as my mentor Sherrie says, it's almost time for a mental reset.  After the Lincoln Marathon this weekend I plan to take a week or so with little or no running.  Just a quick break to reboot.  I have a lot of work left to do this year and I need to be on top of my game mentally and physically as I head into this second period of goals.  During that time I will have at least one official 50k, and hopefully two; and I'm also hoping to get in at least a couple "unofficial" marathon-50k distance trail runs.  I have the opportunity to train on the trail that the 50 mile will be on, so I plan to make the most of it and run as many 25-35 mile runs out there as I can so the race just feels like another run.

(L to R starting with back row) Chris, Sherrie, Jay, Ryan, me,
Mark & Jill at the Pi Day River Rotation Trail Half Marathon 3/4/12

I've got so many friends with huge goals for the the fall and I'm so excited about that!  I'm lucky to be a part of a vibrant Ultra and trail running community, so I barely ever have to run alone, even in a race.  I get to tag along as friends train for halfs, marathons, 50ks, 100ks and 100 milers.  Training with them will keep me honest and on track for my own training goals.  They will also make sure I have fun doing it.  I couldn't ask to be surrounded by a more amazing and inspiring group.  I've got friends from the Trail Nerds, Trail Hawks, Olathe Running Club, Kansas Ultrarunner's Society, HCR Running and from other places to inspire, encourage and educate me and I'm thankful to all of them.  Together many of us have trained for and hit huge goals and together we will continue to amaze ourselves with what we can do.  I've always said I hated living in Kansas and that I wanted to leave, but over the last year I've found out that as a runner, Kansas is the place to be and Kansans are the people to be with!!