The year draws to a close...

     This year has been great for me as a runner! I accomplished many of my goals and I really feel as if I grew as a runner.  As the 2012 running year draws to a close, it is time to reflect upon my goals, achievements and shortfalls (not failures). On January 1, 2012, I set out to run 100 miles every month for a total of 1200 miles for the year. While I did not get my goal of 100 miles every month due to a couple injuries involving tendonitis on the tops of my feet in mid August and the early part of September, I did crush my goal of 1200 miles for the year. As of today I have 1565.5 miles, most of which are trail miles.  I may even hit 1600 if I really push hard today and tomorrow. I'm not too concerned with that number though, I ran hard this year regardless of what the number shows. I also pushed myself in long runs, including two 50K's (The North Face Endurance Challenge and Labour Pains), both on trials. I commuted from York to New Cumberland, about 18 miles.  I ran with some old friends and created some close bonds on the trails. I am so grateful for that!! The memories I gathered on my adventures are priceless and I will cherish for the rest of my life.

     I want to thank my amazing wife Angela for being there for me. As I look forward to 2013 I plan on pushing farther and harder, perhaps to my wife's dismay. She is the most supportive and encouraging person I have ever met, but the level of training I put in does take away from family time. I thank you Angela, for everything you do for me and all the confidence you instill in me! In 2013 I know that she will have to maintain that level of love and understanding because I am going to push it a bit farther.

     In 2013 I want to try to average 40 mile weeks, this will help me prepare for my longer races and put me close to 2000 miles for 2013. I have registered for my first 50M run at The North Face Endurance Challenge on June 1. Don Gidusko will be running by my side for all 50 miles in D.C. after pacing me on my 50K there last year. Too f'n cool! I believe my good buddy Kyle Valkenburg will be running his first trail marathon that day, which is SO rad!  He will kill it, I'm sure. He may be taking it to the next level later in the year at the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K in Tennessee with me, and I would be STOKED! I may also try to find another 50M race or maybe a 24 hour trial run to see just how far I can go; I would be shooting for 100 miles. Other than that, I just wanna have fun! Travel and see some new courses, run more local trails with friends, maybe set a 50K PR.

Here are the runs I'd like to do in 2013:

Ugly Mudder 7M                               1/20/13

Chilly Cheeks 7.2M                         2/24/13

Iron Masters Challenge 50K          4/28/13

Farm Park Challenge 12 hour         5/4/13

The North Face 50M                         6/1/13

Labour Pains 12 hour                       9/2/13

Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K        10/5/13

Ghouls & Fools 6.5M night run    10/20/13

Upchuck 50K.                                   11/9/13

     Finally, to end the post and 2012, I started a FaceBook group for trail running. The goal is to give trail runners in south central PA a place to organize group trail runs. We'll see if it works. Every time I try to put something like this together it sinks like a big brown submarine in the tub! Time will tell.... If you want to get together for a group trail run, check it out here:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/385594928199813/

Thanks for reading and following my blog!

 

WS100 Raffle and Lottery - 2014 Western States

     Well, yesterday was the raffle and lottery for the 2013 and 2014 running of the Western States 100 Endurance Run. Just to clarify, the lottery is entered by people that have already qualified for the run and are prepared to pay the $370 registration fee as soon as their name is pulled for the 2013 run. The Raffle, which I was entered into with the generous donations I received, is for a FREE admission into the same run for 2014 with the expectation that the winner runs a qualifier within the next year. Mine was/is The North Face 50M in Washington D.C. in June of 2013. So, moving forward, I will still run the 50M with the hopes of completing it in under eleven hours, thus qualifying me for the lottery of the WS100 to be held in 364 days.
     There is some exciting news, a gentleman from Harrisburg was selected for the run in the Lottery, meaning he will be there in June of 2013 running the hallowed ground from Squaw Valley to Auburn. His name is Randy Dietz and he is 63. I would love to get into contact with Randy and be his training partner for the next six months. Who knows, maybe he needs a pacer for his attempt? Finding a kindred ultra-runner spirit would be great. He can help me prepare for D.C. and I can help him get some long miles in for WS100. I will be attempting to make contact with him this week I guess, I hope I don't come across as a weirdo!
   
     I am closing in on my 2012 goal of 1500 miles. The original goal was to run at least 100 miles a month for the entire year for a total of 1200 miles. Things changed when I signed up for my first ultra (The North Face 50K in D.C.) and ramped up my mileage. Half way through the year I changed my goal to 1500 miles because I was on pace for that. I hit a couple snags with my first ever injuries that took a toll of a bout 3-4 weeks of missed training. Then I missed some days with my bad toe and a pretty good cold the last couple weeks. Despite a month or so of missed running, I will still meet my goal two weeks ahead of time. I am at 1457 as of 10:15 am on Sunday the 9th. I will be running maybe 10-13 miles today, putting me close to 1470. I will run the last 30 miles between Tuesday and Saturday with little problem. It will feel GREAT to hit this milestone!!

Lastly, I plan on signing up for the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50K that is held in Tennessee on October 5, 2013. This thing looks BEAUTIFUL and my wonderful wife Angela told my I should do it. My races are much fewer and far between nowadays. I will be running an Ultra to prepare for my TNF 50Mer. It will be either The Outrun 24 hour Trail Race in Ohio on April 27th (high registration fee of $100) or The Farm Park Challenge, a 12 hour ultra consisting of five mile loops and a registration of only $39. The experience of the Ohio race is much more exciting, but I will most likely need to do the Farm Park race. It is a lot cheaper, will require much much less planning and travel time. It's not my first choice, but it's the best one for my budget and family. I will think it over....

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! If you could, leave a hello or a message below. I am really curious who is reading this! Take care and be well.

Western States Update

     Next weekend is the raffle drawing for a spot in the 2014 Western States 100 Endurance Run. I have decided to do a little fundraising to buy as many tickets as I can and try to get a spot in the race. I have had two good friends already donate a total of $75, and I just started today. Kyle Valkenburg and, we'll call him Agent H, were very very generous. I really did not expect such levels of donations. The fundraising only lasts until the end of the week, as the drawing is December 8th. If you would like to donate, please feel free to make your way over to GoFundMe and donate $5 or $50 or anywhere inbetween. There are some incentives included for the various levels. Each level has a name that represents the start, an aide station along the course, and the finish line. I'm sorry I cannot offer more interesting incentives, but I promise you will come away with something special - even if it's just a picture, a rock, or a story to tell your friends, "I know this guy that is running 100 miles through the Sierra Nevadas!"

     

Thank you for the consideration and potential donations.

You can feel good about your donation, even if I am not granted registration into this amazing race.  

"All proceeds from the Raffle are used to support Western States medical research and to preserve and maintain the Sierra Nevada trail system."

Also:

Note: Ticket amounts are considered to be a donation to WSERF, a 501(c)3 organization, and as such may qualify for a US federal tax deduction. If you are a winner, however, you can claim only the portion of the total ticket purchase that exceeds the value of the WS entry ($370.) Check with your personal tax adviser for full information.