The Final Piece
Five races down. One more event remaining in the Transcendence Series. The finish is so close, I just need to run another 35 miles at the Indian Creek 55k. Nothing compared to what I've already covered! It’s still an ultra, still a distance to be respected. There are no guarantees when it comes to ultra races - even with the “shorter” distances. I have 12 hours - and given that it took me 4 hours to hike the last 9 miles into Music Meadows on the 22nd, I am not taking anything for granted. A lot can happen over the course of 35 miles. I need to be ready to face whatever comes my way so I can reach that finish line.
In some ways, I'm sorry that the journey is ending already. I know it's been a long year of balancing training, racing and recovering, but that's been half the fun. Learning what I can tolerate for training and when I start to crack. It's easy to settle into the routine of training for one particular race. Get in the long runs, get in the hills and the speed needed to cover the distance. It’s much harder to look at six very different ultra races on six different style courses. How do you train for and recover from each race in order to be ready for the next one? That wasn’t much of an issue with the first two races - Stories was early in the year and I had plenty of time to recover after that. The original date for Tommyknocker was a little tricky with some of the other races and mountain bike events - something that wasn’t any easier for the rescheduled date. Then the real test arrived. The 50 miler at Last Call, then four weeks later another 50k at Sheep Mountain. That was the gap that worried me the most. Two 50ks within a month? Not much of an issue. After my first 50 miler, I was toast for more then four weeks. Would I be ready for another ultra that close? Finally the biggest test - Sangre de Cristo 100 Mile. I was originally planning on the Sawmill 55k in December so I would have time to recover after Sangre.
But I changed up the plan from the inception of this grand scheme. I didn’t want to get so close to goal - having finished five of the six races - and then have something happen. I didn’t want to let it slip away just by waiting until the last minute. So I decided to take a chance. I could do a 55k three weeks after a 100 mile race, right? Just recover smartly, let my body repair from the damage of the 100 mile race. I wouldn’t need another long run after finishing a 100 - I would still have the endurance from Sangre de Cristo. And who said I needed to race and go after a fast finish time? The speedy times are nice, but that’s not been the goal of the year. The goal of the year has been challenge - physically, mentally - and to learn more about who I am as an athlete and as a person. What greater challenge then to let go of the finish times and just have fun? Experience the race through a different lens. So I’m going all in on the having fun part of the day. I have a costume planned - more then just a fancy hat or bunny ears. I’m hoping to win the costume contest with my outfit! Historically based and something I can run in comfortably - most of it has been tested on the trail! Yes, you get some funny looks running in the Canon while wearing a costume...
Fun is the goal, but I’m not completely forgetting the competitive side. I still want a decent finish time, but will respect the fatigue in my legs. I haven’t set out any plans or spreadsheets for IC55k. I don’t know the course, so I am just going to run. When I need to walk, I will walk. I don’t even know if I’ll bring my poles! I can always carry them and decide at the halfway point if I still want them. But I will remember the lessons of Sheep Mountain and the ability to let go of my expectations to just enjoy the day.
One week to go. One week before the final piece of the Transcendence Challenge. Here’s to hoping in a week, I’ll have a wrap up of everything I’ve learned over the course of the last few months.
In some ways, I'm sorry that the journey is ending already. I know it's been a long year of balancing training, racing and recovering, but that's been half the fun. Learning what I can tolerate for training and when I start to crack. It's easy to settle into the routine of training for one particular race. Get in the long runs, get in the hills and the speed needed to cover the distance. It’s much harder to look at six very different ultra races on six different style courses. How do you train for and recover from each race in order to be ready for the next one? That wasn’t much of an issue with the first two races - Stories was early in the year and I had plenty of time to recover after that. The original date for Tommyknocker was a little tricky with some of the other races and mountain bike events - something that wasn’t any easier for the rescheduled date. Then the real test arrived. The 50 miler at Last Call, then four weeks later another 50k at Sheep Mountain. That was the gap that worried me the most. Two 50ks within a month? Not much of an issue. After my first 50 miler, I was toast for more then four weeks. Would I be ready for another ultra that close? Finally the biggest test - Sangre de Cristo 100 Mile. I was originally planning on the Sawmill 55k in December so I would have time to recover after Sangre.
But I changed up the plan from the inception of this grand scheme. I didn’t want to get so close to goal - having finished five of the six races - and then have something happen. I didn’t want to let it slip away just by waiting until the last minute. So I decided to take a chance. I could do a 55k three weeks after a 100 mile race, right? Just recover smartly, let my body repair from the damage of the 100 mile race. I wouldn’t need another long run after finishing a 100 - I would still have the endurance from Sangre de Cristo. And who said I needed to race and go after a fast finish time? The speedy times are nice, but that’s not been the goal of the year. The goal of the year has been challenge - physically, mentally - and to learn more about who I am as an athlete and as a person. What greater challenge then to let go of the finish times and just have fun? Experience the race through a different lens. So I’m going all in on the having fun part of the day. I have a costume planned - more then just a fancy hat or bunny ears. I’m hoping to win the costume contest with my outfit! Historically based and something I can run in comfortably - most of it has been tested on the trail! Yes, you get some funny looks running in the Canon while wearing a costume...
Fun is the goal, but I’m not completely forgetting the competitive side. I still want a decent finish time, but will respect the fatigue in my legs. I haven’t set out any plans or spreadsheets for IC55k. I don’t know the course, so I am just going to run. When I need to walk, I will walk. I don’t even know if I’ll bring my poles! I can always carry them and decide at the halfway point if I still want them. But I will remember the lessons of Sheep Mountain and the ability to let go of my expectations to just enjoy the day.
One week to go. One week before the final piece of the Transcendence Challenge. Here’s to hoping in a week, I’ll have a wrap up of everything I’ve learned over the course of the last few months.
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