With Jason traveling to various places teaching clinics I haven't had as much time as I would like to write. I wanted to write down a few things that are coming up that I'm really looking forward to.
Starting with next week! I'll be getting a half arm sleeve tattoo. I've been wanting this for some time but haven't been able to get it done due to moving around so much. I was supposed to get one back in September but the timing was off. I didn't think it would be the best idea to get this tattoo the day before my 50 miler so I put it off. I'll let the design be a surprise but will post pictures next week and say it will have the initials of my brother and grandmother who passed away somewhere in it.
Secondly, I signed up for Bandera 100k in Texas on January 7th. I've never run this distance before and I'm really looking forward to it. I crave running these long distances like I never imagined I would. I meet people on the trails that even if I never see them again I consider them life long friends. We connect in a way that I can't quite fully explain other than we share kindred spirits, a love of the trails and a sense of adventure. I love the whole experience of ultras and it's probably why I try talking so many people into running them.
Lastly, I have a few options of the next 100 miler I am going to sign up for. After not completing the last one I am anxious to sign up knowing it's out there in the future. I have a few circulating in my head but will hold off on saying what they are until I sign up.
Something I've been thinking about when deciding which one to sign up for is what type of terrain to run in. I really love the mountains and I love tough, technical trails. When I signed up for my first marathon I signed up for a trail marathon and to this day it remains one of my favorite races and one of the toughest races I've run. It was hot, humid, muddy and had sections of the course where we had to use ropes to climb down the terrain. I loved it! I later ran a road marathon out of curiosity to see how fast I could run it. While I could run it much faster than the trail marathon it didn't hold the same appeal for me. I missed that the solitude and comradery that the trails hold.
I could sign up for a flat, relatively easy 100 mile race but I know it won't hold the same appeal for me as something much more rugged and hilly. I've looked at some of the cut off times for different 100 milers and feared if it took the really good runners longer to run the course what makes me think I can run it?
I kept coming back to my first trail marathon experience and how much I enjoyed it. I'm not going to be scared off with cutoff times. I know I'm a slow runner but I also know that what I love most is running in the mountains.
If all goes well, I'll sign up soon for that race and be able to look forward to my goal race soon!
Starting with next week! I'll be getting a half arm sleeve tattoo. I've been wanting this for some time but haven't been able to get it done due to moving around so much. I was supposed to get one back in September but the timing was off. I didn't think it would be the best idea to get this tattoo the day before my 50 miler so I put it off. I'll let the design be a surprise but will post pictures next week and say it will have the initials of my brother and grandmother who passed away somewhere in it.
Secondly, I signed up for Bandera 100k in Texas on January 7th. I've never run this distance before and I'm really looking forward to it. I crave running these long distances like I never imagined I would. I meet people on the trails that even if I never see them again I consider them life long friends. We connect in a way that I can't quite fully explain other than we share kindred spirits, a love of the trails and a sense of adventure. I love the whole experience of ultras and it's probably why I try talking so many people into running them.
Lastly, I have a few options of the next 100 miler I am going to sign up for. After not completing the last one I am anxious to sign up knowing it's out there in the future. I have a few circulating in my head but will hold off on saying what they are until I sign up.
Something I've been thinking about when deciding which one to sign up for is what type of terrain to run in. I really love the mountains and I love tough, technical trails. When I signed up for my first marathon I signed up for a trail marathon and to this day it remains one of my favorite races and one of the toughest races I've run. It was hot, humid, muddy and had sections of the course where we had to use ropes to climb down the terrain. I loved it! I later ran a road marathon out of curiosity to see how fast I could run it. While I could run it much faster than the trail marathon it didn't hold the same appeal for me. I missed that the solitude and comradery that the trails hold.
I could sign up for a flat, relatively easy 100 mile race but I know it won't hold the same appeal for me as something much more rugged and hilly. I've looked at some of the cut off times for different 100 milers and feared if it took the really good runners longer to run the course what makes me think I can run it?
I kept coming back to my first trail marathon experience and how much I enjoyed it. I'm not going to be scared off with cutoff times. I know I'm a slow runner but I also know that what I love most is running in the mountains.
If all goes well, I'll sign up soon for that race and be able to look forward to my goal race soon!
