For Every Season – Run, Run, Run
December 7, 2006 by Bryon Powell · 6 Comments
One of the things I’m supposed to do as part of my Montrail deal is submit a race schedule for the coming year. Actually, you are asked to submit one with your team application and I did that; however, you are asked to submit another one following the signing of your contract. The request for a revised tentative schedule is a wise move as my race schedule is reasonably different from and significantly more settled than the version I submitted in late October.
Whilst I would have enjoyed running Western States for a fourth straight year, my loss in the lottery last weekend is also a bright spot. Because of it, I can do some races that I’ve never done as well as some that I’ve been meaning to go back to for more than a couple years.
Not only do the individual races on my calendar excite me, the entirety of my schedule is a thing of beauty. In choosing the races I want to run, I progress from 50k up to 100 milers in incremental steps over the course of four months. Then, after building a huge endurance base (and taking a couple weeks of down time after Vermont), I can devote an adequate amount of time (a couple months) to sharpen for the final race of my season. Here it is:
Feb 3 – Uwharrie Mountain Run 40 Miler – Uwharrie Nat’l Forest, NC
Mar 3 – Seneca Creek Green Way Trail 50k – Damascus, MD
Mar 24 – HAT Run 50k – Havre de Grace, MD
Apr 14 – Bull Run Run 50 Miler – Clifton, VA
May 6 – Miwok 100k – Marin Headleads, CA
May 27 – Rocky Mountain Double Marathon – outside Vedauwoo, WY
June 9 – Laurel Highlands Trail 70.5 Miler – Ohiopyle, PA
July 20 – Vermont 100 – Woodstock, VT
Oct 13 – 24 Hours of Boulder (as an ultra relay) – Boulder, CO
Nov 17 – JFK 50 Miler – Washington County, MD
Of the above noted races, the races fill many different roles. For instance, Uwharrie and Seneca Creek are nothing more than supported training runs at which I will run at an easy effort throughout. Bull Run Run … well, it’s here and I should run it – another good workout. Miwok is supposed to be an incredibly beautiful run and I just want to be there to see it and get in a good workout. Similarly, the Rocky Mountain DM offers the beauty of Vedauwoo and a good workout… on the other hand, if I am near the front I will try to defend my title there. The 24 Hours of Boulder will be a fun team experience… that we hope to win. When you take all of those races out, you get my “focus races” for the year: HAT Run, Laurel Highlands, Vermont, and, most surprisingly of all, JFK.
In addition to many semi-official training runs and “fat ass” events, I am considering the following races at the moment. Chances are some other races will fill in my schedule as supported training runs.
Feb 10 – Holiday Lake 50k – Appomattox, VA
Apr 16 – Boston Marathon – Somewhere, MA
Apr 28 – Promised Land 50k – Bedford, VA
I am also committed to pace at the following events.
Jan 13 – H.U.R.T. 100 (Steve Burton) – Oahu, HI
May 19 – Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 (Mike Mason) – Front Royal, VA
Related articles:
- What Races Should I Run in 2008? A super quick, off-the-cuff post here. I need to develop my race schedule for the rest of the year by the end of the day and it’s still wide open....
- Tentative 2008 Running Schedule Thanks to everyone who suggested races for me to run in the remainder of 2008. While a great deal of uncertainty remains in my schedule for the latter half of...
- 2011 Trail and Ultra Race Plans? What are your 2011 trail running and ultramarathon race plans?...
Filed under Bryon ·
Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell
Out of curiosity what is an “fat ass” event. I’m training for my first marathon I hope its not a fat ass event!
A “fat ass” is an ultra run that is basically a personal training run for the entrants. The events generally come with the disclaimer “No Fee, No Frills, No Wimps, No Whining!” or any one of many statements to that effect. Basically, it’s a semi-formal running vent with variable amounts of support.
Best of luck with your first marathon.
A few words of warning about the VT 100. First, watch out for the horse shit. Second, we once had a guy end up needing to stay with us after the race, because he developed hypothermia after the temps dropped at the end of race. Summer in VT is not necessarily summer.
Marit,
Don’t worry, I intend to be in front of the horses. ;-)
I’m so glad to hear that it can be cold in VT in the summer. The looming heat factor is one reason I haven’t run this race sooner.
I ran Laurel Highlands this year (14:39). If you haven’t run it before I think you will like the course alot. Each mile is marked which can get a little tedious at times. Very good aid stations and excellent volunteers. I would probably run it again this year, but I made it through the lottery at Western States. Looking forward to that.
xcmerun100m, I have run Laurel Highlands before and it is an awesome race. It was my first “long” ultra that I ran only five weeks after my first 50k. It has a special place in my memory – it was the first time that I showed myself that I could do the improbable. I would have done it any of the past three years, but I’ve gotten into Western States each of those years, so I skipped it for the obvious reasons. Can’t wait to go back next year and improve upon my 14:55.
Nice work at LH last year, quite a respectable showing. Best of luck at WS this year. Let me know if you want any thoughts on the training or the race.