Getting my ducks in a row!

Between now and the end of the year I am actually only registered for one race: Twin Peaks, I have pretty much fleshed out the training plan which starts in a couple of weeks.

While it's been a nice change of pace bimbling along the last month or two I am actually looking forward to having the structure of a training program although I am sure I’ll be saying something different when I am running hill repeats in November in a headtorch!

I've not ridden my bike as much as I would have liked and the century ride I wanted to do in August is sold out; I am waitlisted, still, I could do my own I suppose, a'la this lunatic!

Anyway I digress, because my wife and I “divvy” up our weekends; she does her thing; hiking, one morning and I do mine the other and we each look after the boys on the other morning, my long run day is going to be Sunday and then when I start to run back to back long runs the second day will need to be Monday, (sorry that's kinda obvious), not the best day in the week but what can you do? Previously I had gotten up to 35 mile weekends, along the line of 20/15 or 22/13 and that’s what I’ll be aiming for this time around alternating every other second long run for a bike ride a’la trainer. What this does mean is that I’ll need to tag on extra miles to my Sunday runs with the TRC, so I guess I can either get there early or stay later; I going to have to get used to running trails in the dark at some point and at least all the rattle snakes will still be in bed!

The next piece of the jigsaw is to throw some races into the mix and so I have lined up, but yet to register for the following:

• August 23 Bulldog 25k
• September 28 Xterra 18k
• October 25 Xterra 21k
• November 15 Catalina Island Eco Marathon
• November 23 PCTR Pt Mugu 50k
• December 13 Twin Peaks 50 Miles, registered, phew!

Now assuming all is well this is where the fun really begins, if I can keep the momentum up in January I’ll shoot for the Catalina Island 50 Mile run, if not I’ll head back to Calico to run the Ghost Town 50k like I did this year, then February ease up the racing, regroup and in March take a shot at Coyote 2 Moons 100k hence the running trails in a headtorch comment. It’s going to be a push as that actually has me running four ultras and a marathon in five months, but if I go at it sensibly I think there is a real chance of pulling it off, I wanted to ramp up to 100k next year so bearing in mind that there's nothing round here in the summer getting it in either early or late (or both?!?) is the way to go.

Stick around, I think this going to be fun!