First, I have added a few races to my 2011 schedule. They reflect what is available in the area this time of year and also serve as one facet of my training strategy. I initially wanted to take a trip somewhere for a bigger trail race (a couple of 50Ks in Arizona had caught my eye), but money being what it is, tight, I think that won't be possible. The Backcountry Half seems like it could be a decent race. A little pricey at $50 pre-registration, but it is in Highlands Ranch so I suppose such costs are to be expected. I'm not sure I can or will be in shape for it, but it will give me an opportunity to do one more longer trail race before the end of the year. It also affords me the opportunity to visit Loni and Dane Johnson, Kevin's mom and stepfather, who live in Highlands Ranch, as well as Katy, Kevin's sister, who, along with her family, is now down in the Denver area. I haven't been down to visit them in a couple of years, and that is something I regret and wish to remedy.
The shorter races will serve two functions: a) they will be my primary speed workouts during the winter and b) they are fun. I haven't run the Comea Turkey Trot since its inaugural edition 11 years ago when I was an 18-year-old college freshman home on Thanksgiving break. There's a new crop of young Cheyenne runners that have been bugging me to run a race or two over there. I figured I might as well oblige.
The Fort Collins Thanksgiving Day 4-Miler is another race I used to run frequently in my younger days, but I haven't made the trip down since 2006. We used to gather a group of folks from Cheyenne every year, head down, and try to win as many age-group pies as we could. That race has become increasingly competive over the years after the introduction of prize money ($600 first place purse for this year's race). I ran my pr 4M (20:28) there in 2006 and managed only a 10th overall showing, and won a pumpkin pie for placing second in my age group (and that only because there was no double-dipping). I know that I am nowhere near that fast now, but I remember always having a good time there and figure why not?
The Resolution Run is another race that a bunch of us carpool down for. I first ran the 2005 race, but have only been back once, in 2009. I remember those races being fun due to racing at night, having a good group of folks around, and the chance to go out on the town in FoCo for New Year's celebrations afterwards.
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| Younger versions of Chris Schabron and me at the Resolution Run in 2005. Photo by James Hobson. |
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| The Cheyenne crew, including the Herrold brothers, the Vogel brothers, Scooter Foley, the Wildes (Sean and Maya), Gabe "Blue Steel" Floud, and yours truly post 2009 Resolution Run. |
I may throw another 5K in somewhere in December. Plenty of Jingle Bell Jaunts, etc. around.
As for the winter training, my main focus and concern is injury prevention and staying healthy. I have always had a tendency to get banged up over the winter (running in Laramie this time of year can be hard on the body) and therefore come into the spring maybe a little behind schedule. I want to begin a methodical mileage build-up starting next month, culminating with the Trudge February 25. After that, my focus will be the Big Horn 50M (yes, 50M) in June, with Pilot Hill on the schedule, as well as a possible 50K sometime in April or May.
Along with a steady increase in mileage, I really want to work on my core strength and balance. I am working on a schedule of exercises to help with that. I also plan to incorporate a little weightlifting (nothing significant, I don't wish to pack on muscle, just strengthen my muscles up a bit) and some plyometrics. I think adding some of these things to my routine with help with injury prevention as well as better prepare me for getting back on the trails in the spring.
In training for something like the Trudge, I plan to keep things simple by simply getting outside. I think my weekends will be focused on getting up to the mountains as much as possible and making myself do something up there for two or three hours at a time. I want to get back into some snowshoe runs; we used to do that fairly often in college but I haven't so much the last couple of years. I have always viewed those as a great way to work some different muscles, get up in the mountains, and get the hell off the city streets for a bit. Time out trudging around is probably the best way to train for the Trudge.
I also want to try, weather and gas money permitting, to get down south more this winter. While the Laramie trails were inaccessible until mid-May this past spring, most of the trails south around Fort Collins, Loveland, Golden, Boulder, etc. were pretty much snow-free all winter long. Being able to hit up a couple of long trail runs a month would be great for training and great for my spirits.
That's that. I am going to actually write up a calendar schedule in the next week or two so that I have something physical and tangible to keep me going on the right track. 2011 has been a blessing; I have, with the guidance and friendship of others, fallen back into love with running again. While this year hasn't been easy, and getting back into shape has been difficult at times, I am back to the point where I actually look forward to my runs. I get excited about it. They are not obligations anymore, they are gifts. And I think this year has been the stepping stone. Next year, I look forward to taking that next step. I once, in the not so distant past, thought my competitive racing days were over. Now I look forward to a whole new set of challenges. I'm genuinely excited about the future. It's been too long since I've felt that way.
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