Accountability

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." -Albert Einstein

Admittedly 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.

ii. Starting to bike commute to work more (~15 mi each way depending on traffic/route).  

• 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.

iii. Going to add a lot more structure into my training plan over the next 8 months. (I am now drafting up a tentative training plan). 

• 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!

iv. Not lose sight of my personal responsibilities as a husband and as a father. 

• 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.

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)

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