Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Those three words...

This post could alternatively have been called the Twelve Step Program or The Edge of the Cliff is 11 Steps Away or how about What the effing hell are you doing?

After my ITB issues at the Great Race I was left to make a decision about what to do this weekend over Leona Divide. Vacillating between yay and nay, I decided that a more scientific approach was needed to arrive a decision point and with all that in mind I did a extra little research on the race.

Firstly thanks to Motion Based I found that someone had run it and posted their run, here’s the elevation profile, (on the right), not to sound flip, while yes there are a some big hills in actual fact it's not that much worse than than the PCTR Pt Mugu 50k which had this profile, (on the left), in fact there is an extra 4000' of climbing over 19 miles and they are both virtually identical in distribution ; 42% ascent, 45% descent and 13% on the flat. You can see the MotionBased Leona Divide run details here. and the PCTR 50K here.

Secondly I looked it up on Athlinks and found a few people who ran it and emailed them asking them for any advice and got some replies, I did this on the Ultra List a while back and got some good advice about the course, Aid Stations etc.

Thirdly I still had a few questions so I emailed the RD this morning and within an hour had a response. Lastly I checked the weather and it will be almost perfect conditions with a low in the high 30s and a high in the mid 50s, sunny and clear.

So after a long and protracted, period of thinking about what to do carefully weighing the pros and cons and examining the pluses and the minuses. I have decided to put all the thinking behind me and exercise those three little words…Go For It!

Here’s the 12 step rationale, never accuse me of being rational!

  1. My ITB seems fine at the moment, after last weeks 50 mile bike ride, where I usually have a few aches and pains I had nada.
  2. I have virtually worn out my foam roller, and again my ITB seems fine
  3. I can actually run with my Stick if I have to
  4. While I have not run since the Great Race, think of it as extended taper, I ran a 50k with no running for the two weeks prior
  5. I need a new back wheel for my bike, so without that I’ve nothing to do this weekend!
  6. The thought of five months training, albeit in a haphazard fashion, down the drain pisses me right off no end!
  7. The cut off time is 13 hours, that’s an average of 25:06 per mile, that I can manage
  8. If I can finish under 11 hours I can enter the WSER lottery, that’s a 21.12 pace
  9. You only ever regret the things you don’t do
  10. If I finish this race (or not) I have learned a lot from this training cycle which will make the next one very different, more on that to follow
  11. I can always DNF on the way round
  12. I can’t really come up with any more so this one makes 12

So now I am set, I need to quickly think about some logistics, drop bags, kit, fuel etc but having made the decision a weight has been lifted and I feel really good about it. So now it's no pressure, all I need to do is keep moving forward!

9 comments:

  1. Holy Cow.... you have some guts there. if anyone can do it you can!!!! I will be cheering you on all the way. Take the stick... it will help. WOW... I am excited for you.

    NO GUTS NO GLORY!!!! Just know when to stop if you reach that point. Recovering from further damage would be horrible. Man I sure sound like your mother.

    Rock on Stewart!!!

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  2. That's great. I'm a hurt a lot and have a gazillion DNSs. That said, I don't have a single DNF. I think there's a little something something about race day.

    Have an excellent time!!

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  3. If you qualify and get selected for WS100, I might just have to talk you into flying me out there to pace you in 2009!

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  4. I think you can do it: I was totally convinced by the 12 points.

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  5. Go for it, indeed. Life's too short. Challenge yourself. Great decision.

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  6. Have a great run!
    You are so lucky to have such beautiful places to run and bike in SouCal. ( I'm live in the Midwest, but have run Catalina Island marathon 3X. Start out your race very easy and enjoy the day!
    PS I put a redbull in my drop bag to drink at the 35 mile point in my first 50 miler last spring.. it helped put a smile on my face for those tough last miles! I was even able to pass a few folks.
    Enjoy!

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  7. #9 is my fave---go for it! Just be careful--but enjoy that feeling at the finish!

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  8. YYYEEEEEEEEHHHAWWWWWWW!! Go get em! You can really carry The Stick with you while running? Interesting . . .

    And don't think I didn't look in the Bargain Bin! ROFLMAO! Thanks for the 411 on the Halo, you know I'll end up getting some hot pink Heatsweat with Flamingos on it :P

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  9. Soldier On! Sounds like you're good to go. Best of luck, and most importantly, have fun!

    "Tell better stories." :-)

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