Lining it up

Shin update: feeling much better today.  Only a few times did the winks of pain make their case.  Actually, today was the first time I'd really tested the leg as I needed to mow the lawn, and it felt fine.  I've been taking calcium/Vitamin D and icing (ice massage) twice daily which seems to help.  The icing is brutal though, and I can feel the small bulges on the bone really when I run the ice up and down.  Whatever helps though, right?

In any case, I've been able to look at what I'd like to do during what I consider the fun run season, basically late fall/winter.  Hopefully, I'll be back up and ready for some shorter races in October along with some soccer, and I'm planning on hitting up the BC 10 spot in the hood here, then a possibility of some sort of double/triple in November with combos of HRBC Half/Incline Beer Mile/CC6K/FSIV on 11/10 and 11/11.  December, as per ususal, will be heading up for the Fat Ass in the norse country and the Fat Ass in the south in January.  My focus for December and January is to get some solid hill training/tempo work in and be in good shape come February.

February is slotted for an event that has been on my bucket list for at least 2 years now: Orcas Island 50K.  I think I've previously made mention of the fact that I really, really like running in the PNW, and this is up there with the best events offered in the area.  Check out the photos from Glen Tachiyama here.  Then, most likely, I'll be heading to Salida for the marathon again, and hopefully this year I'll be in shape.  The real kicker is that somewhere in March - May, Rachel and I are going somewhere to celebrate 5 years (which will actually lapse 12/9).  I've got 2 50's I'd like to run in that time (Jemez and Zane Grey) but likely won't do one, and Zane Grey is the hardest to get out to, so that's likely not going to happen.  There are a few 50's in CO during that time (Fruita/CP/Quad Rock) but all are double loops, and I just don't like the double loop, but the 25's in any would be fine, with QR the best course by far.  So, we'll see about all of that.

June is pretty well locked with the Golden Gate Dirty 30, pacing my best friend at Bighorn, and then San Juan (another bucket list race).  The rest of the year is lottery dependent.  Of course I'll be hoping to be picked for Hardrock, though that is rather ominous coming off two 100 DNFs.  Cascade Crest and Wasatch are high on the list, lottery dependent. If I don't get into Hardrock, I think I'll leave July open for some more fun high country projects like this year.

In any case, the injury has let me spend some more time than normal looking at how to align the race schedule for next year.  I'll only go back to a race if it's one that I really like (Salida, Jemez, Mt. Werner Classic), with one exception (Fruita) as the wife really had fun out there, so we might head back out.  Looking forward to getting back running.  Mostly I want to explore some new stuff on my backyard trails that seems to be just coming to my attention.  I'm also looking forward to some of the smaller fun stuff we've got this winter, like the Hardrock lottery party.

Lastly, I'm throwing a party for my wife on 9/30 at our new place at 5:00PM.  Rachel's running her first ultra and we're still newly moved in, so come hang out on our back porch and welcome my wife to the club.