Tuesday, December 20, 2011

2012 Winter/Spring Race Plan

October 31st marked the first time I have ever set my alarm so that I could enter a race.  The 6 Hours of Warrior Creek mtb race is held the first Saturday in April.  I have entered this race 3 years in a row as a duo team.  The last two with Kenny Palmer.  It is a great early season race, on a great course, that helps motivate me to get on the bike during the cold winter months.  The race filled up in 48 hours in 2011.  Team Mountain Junkies; year two I was in better shape than Kenny, year three Kenny was in better shape than me, this year we have both committed to coming in on form (Kenny is in better shape than me at the moment).

November 1st was another day for me to "beat the clock."  At 8:00am the registration for the 2/4/12 Uwharrie Mountain Run opens up.  This race notoriously fills up in minutes.  Last year I forgot about it and found it filled up by 10am.  This event has 3 distances 8-20-40 miles.  It works out well for Gina and I because she wants to do the 20 and I want to do the 40.  This event is the week before the Holiday Lake 50k and I've made it my "out" for Holiday Lake.  I've done the HL 50k 6 times.  It was my first 50k back in 2002.  I was in a constant quest to run it in under 5 hours.  This year, my fitness and the weather came together for me to run a 4:33:12.  It is a great race and a perfect motivator to run long over the winter months but I want to move on to some races that I've never done.  This will be my first race longer than a 50k since the Inaugural Hellgate 100k in 2003.

I'm looking forward to it.  So far the training is going well.  My ideal week is one in which I get in around 40 miles running, a long mtn bike ride, and a 25-35 mile road bike ride.

After April 7th I don't have any set plans.  I have some "maybes" but nothing I'm committing to.

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