"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." -Albert EinsteinAdmittedly I have made many mistakes. I am also willing to try something new. This was the reason I started running and into ultras in the first place over 3 years ago. Now here at the end of October I did something truly crazy: I have now signed up for the biggest most challenging thing I will have ever under taken thus far in my running adventures.
This new endeavor has definitely scared me shitless 💩 (but also has got me very excited at the same time) when i hit that ever-looming UltraSignup register button.
I am headed to California in July 2020!
Okay I'm registered. Now what? Well I have been thinking about that a lot in the days since and I have come up with a few things (below) to help myself on this journey towards this epic adventure. I am sharing them here on my blog to hold myself accountable and be honest with myself and my goals.
i. I have quit drinking alcohol since 31-Oct-2019 when i signed up for this race.
- Goal as of now is till abstain until the new year (2 months), but ideally all the way until the end of The Franklins 200 in Feb-2020 (3.5 months).
- I think a decent break from alcohol will help my training and me get more out of my body.
- A stretch goal of all the way till this CA Untamed 330 is over in end of Jul-2020 (9 months), but we'll see how it goes - I do like my beer.
- Firstly, to cross-train a bit and supplement my running miles.
- Secondly, to help with gas money for our budget. The money I save can go back into my registration fee for this race 😄
- Third, for environmental reasons
- and Fourthly, to set a good example to my daughters.
- I figure 30-32 mi on my bike a couple times a week will definitely be a change for the good all around in my life.
- I hope to pass this draft off to some coaches I know for their thoughts and to see if it makes sense and gain some feedback. I have never used a coach, nor had any experience with structured training per say, so this is unique to me and my running. I may or may not use the advice, but the process of getting a plan on paper will help me map out my goals non the less over the next 8 months.
- Either way it is time to start ramping up the training!
- This is the most important point on this list!
- My family are huge supporters of me as an #ultrarunningdad and they are my main reason of a lot of my personal "why" (see blog post). I do not ever want to lose sight of this!
Thank you for following along on this journey and feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. I plan to try and document how my training and lead up go heading from now unit 2020-Jul. But first, I still need to try and wrap my head around the idea of 330 miles!
To give you more of an idea check out the official website (https://californiauntamed.com/) or better yet the film on the creation of this beast of a race. A complete detailed map is also available HERE.
To give you more of an idea check out the official website (https://californiauntamed.com/) or better yet the film on the creation of this beast of a race. A complete detailed map is also available HERE.
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| In June of 2019, Ultra Runner and Extreme Athlete, Ryan Spitz, attempted to run the first California Untamed, a 330-mile course he put together from Arcata (the ocean) to Mt. Shasta in Northern California. YouTube link (0:47:33) ----- ----- ----- ----- -----  |
