Still deciding what I would like to plan toward as my next race. I had a nice easy 7.5 mile trail run. It was a really nice run. The park was quiet, as usual. Came across a mountain biker way out on a single track loop. He was wandering around off the trail. I paused to ask if he was lost. He was just looking for a different place to cross the stream. I don’t usually think about being out there alone, but the last two runs I have. It is remote and secluded. My mother wasn’t too pleased to hear I run alone out there. It is tough. Do I run on the roads, which statistically are more dangerous, or run alone in the vast remote park. Seems like a coin toss. I do mix them, but find the trails are much kinder on the legs. Pavement is just brutal as the mileage gets above 12 miles. I’ll continue my running mixing park and road.
But back to my running plans. I took a look at my running plan and it looks like I have some decisions to make. I could continue with the current training cycle and be ready for a May marathon, or I can back off and prep for a fall marathon. I am undecided, but it would be hard to push this training cycle all the way thru September. There are a couple fun runs that might be thrown in here and there, but my goal is still the marathon distance. I am considering a North Face Endurance Challenge, but it is very technical trail terrain with major gains in vertical feet. I tend to run with at most 250 ft gains. This is a mountain course. I’d have to do some serious leg work to get ready. Sounds like a great course though. They do a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon and a 50 mile ultra. I would personally far prefer to trail run, than pound out 26.2 on the road. Lots to think about. So many choices.
Nice to have something positive to think about, and it will give me something to focus on as I get through the next tumultuous phase of the farm, rescue, and family issues.