It is getting closer and closer to racing season for me. I have some big goals for this year. And I have been training hard to try and achieve them.

Goals

My goals for 2025 are in service of a larger longer range goal for when I turn 50. In 2028 I will turn 50. And after a couple of years of frustration with injuries and beginning to think maybe my days of taking on these big challenges were going to be over I have been reinvigorated and inspired by my fellow running community.

Age is just a number. And running has no age limits. If we want to take on big challenges and are willing to work hard for them then that number means nothing. We can achieve what we work for. And more importantly we can grow as a result of the journey we take to try and get there.

In 2028 I want to run a series of the most challenging races I have ever taken on. Some of the biggest hardest races around. A series of races known as the PA Triple Crown.

This series of races starts at the 50k distance with the Hyner Trails Challenge 50k. A distance a have ran multiple times. Moves up to a 100k distance at the Worlds End Ultras 100k. A distance I have not run. And culminates in a 100 mile race at the Eastern States 100. A distance I have only completed once.

And the challenge of these races is not just the distance. They take place over some of the most challenging terrain that PA has to offer. And they really hit the parts of my running where I am the weakest. So if I want to not just take these races on, but succeed, I need to work hard over a series off years to improve my running.

2025

That is where we get to how 2025 is going to go.

Last year was a big comeback year training and getting back into ultra distance shape. Just trying to recover from injury and confirm that I had it in me to still complete an ultra marathon. I took on and completed Many on the Genny and 47 miles.

This year I want to run a series of 50 mile distance races. Building my base level of ultra fitness from the 50k distance to the 50 mile distance. And I am doing this by taking on races that will be hard for me to achieve my goals. Races that target my weaknesses.

In early May I am taking on the 12 hour Hills Creek Challenge. My goal is to run 50 miles in 12 hours. I have only managed to run 50 miles in around 12 hours once before and I was DFL at that race. This will be a test of my ability to push the pace for me. And I have been working hard on my strength and speed in the winter months.

Then I am following that race up with another 50 mile race at the end of the month. Putting two 50 mile events this close together might be insane, but I am purposefully trying to test myself. I am running the Cayuga Trails 50 mile race. This race gives me 15 hours to complete the 50 miles. But this race has terrain like I have not encountered at this distance.

This course traverses two beautiful state parks, Robert Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls State Park. Both of these parks re known for their beauty that consists of gorges full of waterfalls. Due to that fact this course accumulates 10,000 feet of elevation gain.

I have never run a race with this much elevation gain. I am hoping that if I can prove that I can run 50 miles in 12 hours on a relatively flat course that will give me the confidence I need to push through to achieve 50 miles in the 3 additional hours I will have to conquer the terrain on this course.

Then I will take the summer off from big running events to focus on having some fun before getting back to the serious stuff in the fall. I want to tackle a third 50 mile race in the fall. I have not decided what event I want to target yet. I am kind of waiting to see how May plays out before deciding since nothing has jumped out at me yet. But, if you have ideas feel free to let me know.

Training

This time around my training looks very different than it did when I first got inducted into ultra running. Then I was building and building more and more miles every week. Trying to get longer and longer long runs.

This time around I am inspired by ultra runner David Roche who ran and won his first ever attempt at the 100 mile race at the Leadville 100, a very challenging race. He focused on more hard training sessions but lower total miles. And he mixed in more cross training. And that was a winning formula for him.

I am no David Roche. I am not shooting for a win at any of these races. I just want to survive and finish. But, I have always wondered if this ultra thing can be done with fewer miles.

I had always heard that if you can run a half marathon you can run an ultra. I proved that to myself last year. I never ran longer than 13.1 miles. And I completed my goal race of 47 miles. I supplemented my running by building time on feet with long hikes of 28 miles.

I got through my goal race mostly hiking my way to the finish line for the last several miles. And by some miracle I still had time to spare. At my races this year’s races I am really pushing to a new level for me. I don’t feel like there will be time for walking much other than what most people to at an ultra on climbs etc. I don’t anticipate having time left on the clock to walk it in.

I have been working this winter to get stringer and faster. I have run more speed workouts this winter than I ever remember running. I started a training plan for a sub two hour half marathon. A time I have not seen in a few years. I just put in my Garmin and let the app take care of the rest. But I followed that training plan religiously.

Now after building up my speed and endurance on that end I needed to shift to a different aspect of training. Hitting the trails and building my climbing legs back up.

Trail running and reality sets in

We had a warm stretch of weather here in upstate New York as Spring grew near. I was excited to get back on the trails after being on roads and paved paths all winter.

I met a friend for a long trail run. It was a real test for me. Up and down the mountain we went. I struggled. Reality check. I need to get working on my leg strength so I can climb climb climb.

Then things really got real. Out for an easy run on my training plan things started to tighten up. My left leg seized up on me. I could barely run. The pain was pretty intense. I tried to push through.

Then I remembered my goals. And to achieve my goals I need to be healthy above all else. If I push through and get really injured in a way that I cannot run at all for an extended period of time, I am through.

I pulled the plug on that run and walked it in back to my house. Something I don’t think I have ever done. I have always been someone who grinds it out. Probably how I managed to be hurt consistently for years rather than running the way I want to. I am trying to change that about myself. Be a smarter runner. A runner who stays healthy.

So, if there is such a thing as good timing for an injury at least I had a doctors appointment already scheduled for a few days away. I went to the doctor told him I thought it was my IT band, he agreed and I was referred to physical therapy.

I started physical therapy a few days later. I have learned the value of PT after my last injury experience. I have been doing my PT exercises every day, sometimes more than once a day.

I can feel my leg getting better. It is much less painful to walk. Before I could barely even walk on it. I limped all the time. Now there are days I wake up and it doesn’t hurt at all. And often when there is pain it is more of a dull ache than an intense pain.

The real saving grace for me physically and mentally is that I can still cross train. I have jumped on the bike, after nearly not riding at all during the winter despite my desire to. And I have been able to do some light strength training for my legs.

I went from zero miles in the first week of march to 40 miles the next. Then I racked up 72 miles the next week. Just trying to keep pushing myself. Grinding through bad weather just like it was an ultra. And I started this week off with a ride on a challenging 27 mile route.

The injury is discouraging, but I am not giving up on my goals for this year. If I can keep riding and show steadying improvement in my leg. And if I can get back to regular running.

I might not be able to achieve my 50 miles in 12 hour goal if this injury takes longer to heal. But I will still push hard at that race to see what the maximum I can do is. And it will give me a frame of reference for Cayuga Trails. And I will know how to approach that last month of training.

What are your big goals for this year?

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