My 2008 Season Preview Thing-a-ma-gigger

Well, after a pretty busy 2006 season I vowed to have a slower 2007 season and I believe I did one or two fewer races in 2007 than in 2006 but then again I did several more long and ultra-distance events in 2007 so I’m not exactly sure it counts as a “slow’ season.

Still, one thing I most certainly learned this year is that my racing is indeed a significant impediment to my training, which in turn is an impediment to my racing but…whatever, I love to race so here goes nothing.

I kicked off my 2007 season with a boat load of cycling and a couple ultracycling events. I also have been doing the Ultramarathon Cycling Association’s Year Rounder, a challenge whereby you have to ride at least one century per month for the calendar year. I guess you could call it my year of the bike and I have become a better long-distance cyclist and have learned some very important lessons about time, distance, saddles and male genetalia.

For 2008 I am going to kick my season off with a boat load of running and will do a couple ultramarathons. My run kickoff actually began for the Las Vegas Marathon just a couple weeks ago but will continue with the inaugural Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson, MS on January 5th. My first season ultra will be the Black Warrior 50K on February 16th near Moulton, AL and my second season ultra will be March 22nd at the Grasslands 50-mile at the LBJ National Grasslands near Decatur, TX. Since I was able to get a surprisingly fast PR at Las Vegas I plan on taking the rest of these runs at a pretty easy clip, maybe 4:45ish for the Mississippi Blues and I am aiming for sub-6 for the 50K and sub-12 for the 50-mile. Like the ultracycling I am looking at the running as base and strength building.

Other events I have planned for 2008 are the Ogden Marathon in May, IMCdA in June the Colorado Relay, a 170-mile team relay run, in September and IMAZ in November. Beyond that I am just going to play it by ear. It is very likely that I will end up at the Halfmax Long-course National Championships on October 18th just outside Las Vegas, NV where maybe I can earn my way onto Team USA for the 2009 world long course championships. I also plan on getting in a few of the local races. The people in charge of our regional race series have decided to not require a minimum of 8 races to qualify, which is a big relief because I won’t feel pressured to get in 8 regional races.

Finally, big pressure is already mounting for the end of my season. I have IMAZ on November 23rd and the week before is the inaugural San Antonio Texas Rock-n-Roll marathon. Not only does Mom Baboo live right nearby but San Antonio Texas is my second home. If it weren’t for the dog gone heat and humidity it would be my home but New Mexico has it beat with respect to weather and, for the most part, scenery. However, I really am more of a Texas person personality wise and I can gawk and mosey with the best of them. My other end of year conundrum is the Las Vegas Marathon, which is a week after IMAZ. I would definitely do the half in that case and of course the draw is the great gathering of Elvi and after our cool Elvi blowout this year I believe we will have a whole bevy of bloggers and Outlaws there next year.

Will the choices never cease? I swear the nation’s race directors will not be satisfied until they have every last penny I earn.