Well, the 2010 Western States draw has come and gone and I'm on the outside looking in. All in all I feel OK, since I'm working even to get back to full health it's probably best in the long run (no pun intended). For now I'll reconsider the distance of February's race, I'm not sure I'll be ready to tackle an ultra that soon, but there are 17 and 35K options so I'll at least get a taste of the fun I hope. I think I'll toss out the idea of the Free State 100K as that would be soon as well, not to mention a 9 hour drive.
Here's what I feel for sure though. I think I'll for sure be out at Sageburner again, love that race. I do believe Jon and I will be headed out to Big Horn to run the 50M (Jon's first ultra) a race I'm really, really excited for. I've never had the chance to run a point to point race or a net downhill race. STOKED! Not to mention, Jon's family is in Sheridan and has a cabin just outside Dayton. I also plan on running one of the distances at North Fork, the closest race to home I'll get here in Denver. I'll be excited to get out and run some the course in spring months (Leila, you in?) Collegiate peaks would be fun, probably the 25M but I'm going to keep my options open and take my time getting back to full distance running.
The WS draw has made me consider tackling the LT 100 this year, but I want to be prepared so I'll see how my knee progresses. If I don't get in, I'll still be up there for sure pacing/crewing. For now, I'm going to consider some other late season 100's as well just in case I need a bit more time and feel good about how this is progressing. But right now it's time to shovel some snow...
4 comments:
Bummer dude - but you will def get there some day! Good idea re: the North Fork course, that 50K loop will be a sweet long run, I'm in for sure.
With that Sheridan connection, you pretty much have to do Big Horn. Seriously, those mountains are everything the Colorado Rockies are not - remote, wild, lush and uninhabited. It's a net downhill for sure, but the footing takes most of that advantage away.
Collegiate is a convenient, cheap and low-key race but also kind of feels cheap and low-key. Considering the location of the race, I found the course to be a little disappointing. If you want some in-your-face views of the Collegiate Peaks, you might want to consider the Salida Marathon.
From what I hear, the Bear 100 is a great late-season option.
Leila- Sweet, that sounds like a plan! And not too far from you, and of that I'm jealous again!
Nick- Thanks, I agree, Big Horn looks to be the most exciting thing in my race schedule for sure. Noted on the course, perhaps I'll have to find some more technical stuff to work on around here. Would you say effort wise that Big Horn would match up well with Run Rabbit Run? I had a terrible race at RRR but felt the course was extremely runnable. Salida looks fun, perhaps a bit close to Sageburner, but I'll keep an eye on the damn IT band I've been attempting to get healthy and see how it goes. Bear is definitely on my radar, and perhaps Pinhoti or Superior Sawtooth. The later options simply because they've been places I've wanted to visit and have acquaintences nearby.
I may yet remove 100 miles from my goals this coming year but, I'll just wait and see.
Yeah, probably a fairly even effort between the two, and like Steaboat, Big Horn ends on a big drop. I ran Steamboat last year and I underdstand they changed the course significantly this year. However, there was one section near the turnaround that was pretty much grown in and it was tough to find the route in places - that is Big Horn if you add in elk-rutted trail, marshes, snow drifts and slop.
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