Sickness, fitness, freakness, half marathon

I'm plugging away with the miles. Hitting 40 miles per week has been a good goal and in the past it has been a good number before starting more longer runs as an event grows closer.

The whole family had been hit with a nasty cold. Even my impenetrable immune system couldn't hold it off! So everyone was and is grumpy. It's tons of fun. I just shut my mouth, quiet down, and get on with it. Running blows out my sinuses and makes me feel significantly better (as does any exercise, even a quick calisthenics routine). Anyway, let's hope it passes soon, it feels like it's on the way out.

I'm harboring injuries still but they are tolerable. Piriformis, knee plica, a little calve issue which I solved. So, I'm hitting the foam roller and things are looking better. The piriformis is aggravated from hills otherwise it's runnable and the plica I think it is a JKD injury because it has no effect on running. I've always got tight calves so shin splints are common for me, just need to keep them loose.

around mile 12 or so of my "birthday run"

Still adjusting to the new routine. I think night running will be happening again. The kids wake up at 6am all the time and unless I'm back before that for some reason I'm in the wrong. I understand running is a selfish endeavor but is waking at 430am and being back by 6am selfish? I didn't think so either! Anyway, anything to keep the peace. When you have a goal you are passionate about you'll accept any routine and make it happen. UTS really grabbed my interest unlike Thames Path so I figured it to be the right race to do. 

I turned 41 on the 26th. Most people seem to get upset about birthdays, I do a little, mainly because I have no close friends here so I'm basically on my own. No excitement really but I guess that's part of getting old. However, I can't complain about my personal achievements in my 40th year. A black belt in martial arts and a Western States 100 Endurance Run sub 24 hour finish! Not too shabby! The day itself was fairly normal. I got our for a nice 15 mile run in the sun no less! That run would've happened anyway, also got a few nice gifts, and we went out to eat at Pizza Hut. They've got a vegan pizza option I was curious about so indulged in a little junk food. Not too bad and the kids were happy too. The wife I think was happy as well since it was half the price of going out to eat at a pub.

I recently came across research that had been done assessing someone's fitness for their age. I took the questionnaire and according to my lifestyle, history, etc. I have the fitness of someone under the age of 20! Well it sure doesn't feel like that but I'll take it! Seems to come from a reputable source as well. Made me almost as happy as my run on my birthday! I must be doing something right, sometimes all this healthy eating and exercising becomes a burden, a social issue as people look at me like I'm an oddball. Oddball. Freak. I kind of like that. Yeah I'm not like you, I'm fucking different, and I'm happy that way. I embrace the freak. It's who I am. I recently read a really good blog post on that whole topic and it really was a nice boost of positivity since I fit in here like a square peg in a circular hole.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I'm running a half marathon on the Wyre Forest. No idea what the course is but am assuming shitty muddy conditions. That's ok it's mostly a reason to run on the forest in the daylight rather than a race. Knowing me I'm sure I'll give it my all even though I ran 15 miles yesterday, 5 or so today, and have a few injuries. It will still be fun. Curious how the piriformis will be. On we go........   

Work, kids and UTS!

Well it's been an odd week. Not necessarily busy but odd. I've worked a couple extra days, only 4 hours each though, and the little guy had fun at nursery. One big bonus is the little guy is able to attend nursery on Friday mornings, about 9 - noon, which will give me some free time. Ideally I'll be out the door running but obviously just having some kid-free time will be beneficial in getting things done. 

More work is good but I struggle with it as it's a fun job and my boss is a great guy, not to mention super flexible, but it's by no means a career or something I really look forward to as it can be kind of boring. It just doesn't have a fun exciting community surrounding it like all of my previous jobs have had. So, adding on some more time at work is a good thing financially, it mentally is kind of a downer. It just seems like a lot of commuting and hassle for little benefit. It kind of feels like my old job in Tahoe to some extent. Awesome place to work but you see what it could be, and probably should be, but it's held back. Then I think about any future as far as jobs go and holy shit is it a dead end for me considering my age, job history, and being tied to kids for the next (at least) 5 years...... Ugh, think happy thoughts!
   
Anyway, I mulled it over and committed my money to the Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100. It's a doozy! I still need to get on it and drop out of the Thames Path 100 and more importantly register for Autumn 100 so I keep that Western States lottery thing going on. The main unique thing about UTS is 39,500 vertical feet of climbing. The most I've ever done in a 100 miler is 23,000 I think. I'm planning on incorporating trekking poles which can be beneficial for the ups and downs, plus with my nordic ski background I know how to use them to my benefit. A few models that break down but are lightweight are what I'll get, probably some Black Diamond Carbon Z as they seem the most bang for your buck and have solid reviews. I also need to consider the technicality of some of the trails. It's an "alpine style" race so ridge lines, climbs, and descents could end up being third or fourth class scrambles. Anyway, I could talk for hours about what is needed etc. but the key addition is an ass-ton of up and down! Time to start training!   

I survived the onslaught of consumerism. The mountain of toys wasn't as bad as in the past and the amount of parties and get togethers were fewer than previous years which I appreciated. I ate and drank pretty much the same as I always do just had more family time than normal. If anything I sat down more, did less. I also managed to take advantage of having the wife not working and had a few really nice runs during the day. Getting back on my hilly 10 mile road route was a nice confidence boost. It's a wonderfully difficult but beautiful run. 

The holidays are always a wrench in the routine so I decided to pre-start things to be able to slip back into it a little easier. This also focuses my mind away from the US; this time of the year is always hard being away from family and close friends. I always wonder why New Years Resolutions are such a thing. Why not start now? From my perspective I guess that holiday wrench screws it all up, makes me rethink things, I start making "lists" of things I should do more or better. I do not have any resolutions I guess but the timing of it all resets my plan and I'm excited for that. 

2017 seemed to be a pretty consistent year for me running. I managed 1756 miles which I'm happy with. Looking ahead I may consider going for 2000 miles in 2018, that ends up averaging about 38 miles per week. A nice round number, 2000. I know I can handle 40 miles per week without injury so I may just keep that goal in the back of my mind. Event-wise I believe all I did was Western States 100 which is a pretty big deal. I still struggle to recall the week with all the jet-lag and the culmination of running the race. I plan to return at some point. I'm not sure what the allure is but I think it's not the race but the people and the place having lived there for a while.

2018's big change for me will be the little guy going to "nursery" (or day care) a few days per week starting next week. He's definitely ready for it. Here the government gives families money for this so kids get socialized earlier. Pretty cool in all reality since child care is so expensive. In turn I'll be working at the running store another 8-12 hours per week. My boss is fortunately super flexible and is letting me work four hours a day when I can. He has kids and understands the routine and issues involved with little ones which has been probably far more significant to us than we realize. Thanks boss!  So two to three of my days will consist of dropping kids at school/day care then drive to work for four hours, then home to pick kids up. It will be nice to have a little more money for bills (i.e. Storage unit! I haven't forgot!), I barely scrape by each month. 

I got a dumb idea of dropping out of the Thames Path 100 (WS100 qualifier) and entering the Ultra Trail Snowdonia instead which is a week later in May. Then also entering the Autumn 100 (WS100) in October. The Snowdonia race is brand new, 100 miles, and a brutal 39,000 feet of ascent. It's very intriguing and close to home, a true alpine race much like Tor des Geants and some races in Spain. It's not a qualifier for anything other than true bad ass points. So, in order to have a go at the Western States lottery I'd need to run the Autumn 100 too. I'd be running Thames Path specifically for its WS100 qualifying, there's no other draw to it for me. UTS100 is exciting, scary, and in a phenomenally beautiful location on much of the Snowdonia 50 terrain I've previously ran. I don't know how I feel about this decision but there's 40 spots left so I have a little time to mull it over. 

Well that's about it for now. The things in my head. The rest of the week for me will be tough. The wife is back to work and out of town limiting my running options in the morning. Night running, although an option, sucks. I'd like a 40 mile week and I'm running out of days, I'll make it happen.