Recap of 2008 and Plans for 2009 (Tag Questions)

Rajeev tagged me again. Although lazy blogger that I am, I never answered the previous year's tag, I thought I should answer this year's. Or is that last year's?

1. What was your 2008 running highlight and running low?

I have to keep it plural.

highs:

• being able to finish my "Bay Area PAUSATF triple" (3 races in 3 weeks) after calf spasming early in Miwok 100k (which was one of the lows), worked through the pain the next week at Quicksilver 50 mile (4th overall) and was still able to recover and finish 3rd at Ohlone 50k 8 days later.

• finishing Kettle Moraine 100 mile after several moments when I thought I would drop, have to drop, or die...

• finishing Rio del Lago 100 mile after full body cramping that left me supine on the trail with 32 miles to go.....oh, have I not finished my race report half a year later?
  

lows

• NOT running Helen Klein 50 mile. I've been meaning to devote a whole posting on this and my blowing the 2008 PAUSATF Ultra Grand Prix, but I need to finish my Rio del Lago 100 mile report first. Which reminds me of another low:

• my inability to keep up with my blogging the 2nd half of the year. Oh well, life with a stressful job with weird hours and 2 small kids. And that damn Facebook. At least I've been running.
  

2. What race are you secretly planning on doing (or contemplating) for 2009 but haven't made it known to the public....until now.

No surprises. Not that anyone really cares about this. My list is up at the right. I like to thing of myself as a low profile kind of guy....

3. Where would you like create and direct an ultra that (to your knowledge) none exists

Somewhere local of course, southeast (San Francisco) Bay area. Note my brief post on the passage of the East Bay Regional Parks bond measure if you haven't already. Will be lots of trails to pick from. But no plans anytime soon. Maybe when my kids are in college, if there is still a need or demand for another race.

4. What is your "primary" race for 2009?

Even if I were to get into Western States some day, I probably would make it my "primary" race, at the expense of all others. I'm really not fast enough to take myself that seriously.

The way my schedule is set up is fairly irrational, if not stupid. Basically, my schedule for 2009 is the result of trying to take advantage of family trips by sticking a run in, avoiding PAUSATF races because I'm so pissed at myself for losing the Grand Prix by not showing up at Helen Klein last November, but then later finding out that La Sportiva Mountain Running Team members can get comped entries to the Pacific Coast Trail Run races, which I've felt guilty for not running more of them the past 2-3 years because I was running so many PAUSATF races.

My spring monster will be McNaughton (the 150 mile version), in Illinois, where my in-laws live; thus no Kettle Moraine 100 mile this year. I've signed up for 2 local races I haven't done yet-- Diablo Trails 50k on 3/22 and Lake Sonoma 50 mile 3/28, 2 weeks before McNaughton. I think this violates all common sense about tapering and spacing out races. I signed up for Sonoma first, then found out about Diablo Trails, and felt it was a worthy cause to support. Although the interval is short, I figured, no matter what, McNaughton 150 is going to bite, so....why not?

The 2nd big cluster of races is in late summer. I'm doing as a little change of pace the full Vineman August 1st (thanks Alan for setting me up for the 3 for 2 offer), Headlands Hundred (mile) the next week, Cascade Crest 100 mile 3 weeks later and Angeles Crest 100 mile 3 weeks after that. I think this will really test my ability to endure, recover and prevent injury. I will probably have to hold back on a couple of these if I want to finish them all in decent shape.

5. What is the most exciting thing about your upcoming race schedule?

LOTS of races I haven't done before, including four 100 milers, not including the 1-and-a-half hundred miler in April. Two of the 100's are "epic" point-to-point/big loop runs. Plus 3 point-to-point 50k runs. The percentage of new races to repeat races will probably never be larger. (Not that I mind or am getting bored with courses I only see once a year.) Who's gonna miss yet another year without ever getting to run Western States? It can wait....

6. List your planned races for 2009

Basically minimal repetition from the last 2 years, including the PAUSATF races I was getting to run the past two years for half price. Look for the list in the side bar at the right, which I will be continually updating.
I think everyone else answered all these months ago, so I will not look for people to tag. Especially since I need to put my kids and myself in bed. However, if you blog and want to write a similar post, feel free to ask me to tag you.

I eroded my taper by carrying my younger son repeatedly up these steep steps in Koret Children's Park, in the east end of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, earlier today, the day before the Diablo Trail 50k, my first race of the year.

1st published Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8:05 pm.