Seasons Passing in the Night

I can hardly believe it but this weekend is the first race of my 2009 season and I haven’t even wrapped up my 2008 season. I must have put some kind of wrinkle in my time-space continuum with all my long distance racing over the past two years. Sure, often enough I can hardly tell whether I’m coming or going but my racing seasons? I mean, shouldn’t there be some kind of logical progression that is governed by physics?

This weekend, in case you were wondering, is the Palo Duro Canyon Trail ultras. The races include a 50 miler, a 50K and a 20K fun run. The 50 miler is the first race in the 2009 edition of the 50-miles Texas Style Grand Slam. The other races include Rocky Raccoon and Cross Timbers Trail Run both in February, Grasslands in March and Rocky Hill Ranch in April. The completion of this Grand Slam series is my major goal for the 2009 season.

Of course this weekend I am running the 50 mile race and the GeekGrl will be running the 50K. My goal for Palo Duro is to run a sub-10 hour race, which would be a PR for me by about 30 minutes. That is a pretty tall order but at least worth a shot and I think within my abilities. I have recovered nicely from my 32 miles at Arkansas last weekend and had a fantastic trail run this evening after work. The weather in Palo Duro for the past couple days has been cool, overcast and raining, which means that any sandy sections of the trail will be packed and any dusty sections will be clean. The projected temperatures for Saturday, race day, are lows in the mid to upper 40s and a high near 77; far better than last year’s 90 degree highs with a hot and dusty trail.

So while Palo Duro is my first race for the 2009 season, Ironman Arizona will be my last race of the 2008 season and that is something that I should probably start training for one of these days. Actually I’ve done a few long bikes and a couple of intermediate distance swims and have been glad to see that the huge base I built this season allows me to snap back into iron distance training fairly easily. I am starting to get excited about IMAZ. All the other Outlaws who will be racing are gearing up and talking excitedly and I am getting swept along.

My goal for IMAZ is going to be 12:30 or faster. I think that is within reach if I can get back into the groove on the swim and bike, which I should be able to do beginning next week.

This is a great way to end what has been an awesome season, two big races, two big distances, two big PR attempts. I can be accused of a lot of things but I suppose one of those things isn’t sandbagging.