Cresting The Summit!: Running from Winter Into Spring---March

Monday, March 17, 2014

Running from Winter Into Spring---March

After the Snowshoe National Race, I have been training hard and getting ready to start to ramp up my mileage and intensity to the 80-100 mile weeks instead of my winter 70-77 week totals I have been doing for the last 3 months. I am feeling stronger each day and look forward to my first big ultra, the Cayuga Trails 50. That race is June 1st, so in the meantime, I plan on training and racing more local events from roads and trails to help prep myself for a smashing run come June.

I was able to get my hands on a copy of the Ultra Running Magazine Jan/Feb issue of 2014 which reviews all of the races and the year of 2013 in review. Not only does the magazine feature a review of my Can-Lake 50 mile record run but also has the rankings for all the fastest ultra performances of 2013. I started skimming through the various pages and then saw my name at number 7 for best 50 mile times this year. WOW! I cannot believe it! Looking at the other top runners and performances: Zach Bitter's 5:12 Chicago Lakefront ultra, Matt Flaherty at JFK and Tussey, Zach Miller at JFK and Tyler Sigl at TNF Wisconsin, I am in the top 7 and top 5 runners for 50 miles in 2013. Besides Tussey, Can Lake offered the most climbing out of those other events so it really shows the magnitude and depth that race performance was which is amazing. I never really thought of myself as that top of a performer but seeing such a ranking list, I guess it really shows.

I am very excited for a big 2014! With the sun feeling like a Spring/Summer Sun, and the snow finally melting away and the weather on the warmer up-swing, it is only a matter of time before the weather turns into some lovely conditions. It has been hard this winter to get some quality long runs in when the temps hover in the sub zero area. I chose to take some time to train before opening my ultra season primarily to get some quality training in so that once the big races come around, all the hard work months out leading up will show on race-day. So far Cayuga Trails will be a focus race for me, Manitous' Revenge, and the Virgil Crest 50k. I still have heard if I am in at Tussey which if not I will run a marathon such as the Empire State Marathon instead maybe the Mendon 50k again and to close out the season, JFK 50 my number one goal race for the year. I have also been looking into some NJ Trail series races in the mid summer to maybe run another ultra for a different area and different experience. Maybe the Wildcat Romp in Rockaway, NJ. Either way, I am very excited to be racing Mammut this year!