April Runcation

I am pretty psyched to be heading out for a brief foray into the American River Canyon this weekend. Given that the snow is still flying out here in the Central Idaho Rockies this getaway is especially enticing. I am looking forward to running the American River 50 on Saturday, one of the Spring Classics on the Ultra Circuit, and then following that up with a 40 mile Sunday run on the WS100 course as any trip to the region would not be complete without it.

I am thinking of cruising the AR50 just fast enough to get the legs tired for the 40 the next day. It's an interesting challenge but given that fact that I've been doing these things for over ten years I figure I need to conserve and protect whenever and wherever I can. Furthermore, anytime I can get out onto the hallowed ground of the WS course I feel like I better take advantage of it (kind of like the golfer who goes to St. Andrews in the spring to prepare for The Open in July). As is the case every year, I tend to keep to the same routine rolling into WS while tweaking things a bit as life and age dictate. This weekend's experiment is an example of the evolution of my running. Don't expect to see my name in the top-25 at AR. But, if you ask me what my split was from Highway 49 to the Finish in my Sunday run I'll bet I'll be able to tell you down to the second. And, I might as well put it out there right now, I want that 7th top-10 really, really badly. If I get it, it means I am golden until #10 and then I can sail off into the sunset. But, there's still alot of work to do! Train on!