2018 Racing

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On the road back to racing:

My plan for racing in 2018 is now about 90% firmly in focus.  Being that I am still recovering and rebuilding slowly from the double hernia and left adductor tendon repair surgery (all 3 at the same time) in October, I had to push my start out to the San Jose Super in late March.  This is giving me time to rebuild my physical strength and stamina without rushing, and enough time to get into early season cardio form. 

 

I know by March I won't be running as fast as last September and my endurance still won't be near peak, but it is a great place to start from and I know there will be lots of room to grow.  Having great running coaching from Lifelong Endurance and Coach Andrew is certainly a huge benefit!  We are going slow to make sure all the muscles are doing their jobs correctly and to build without any risk of injury along the way.  I would rather go slow now to go fast later without new injuries any day of the week.

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We are aiming at a 180 SPM goal for me when I get into peak for to ensure my feet land underneath me.  I have a bad tendency from poor advice in the past to over stride in an attempt to use my height and leg length to gain speed and distance.  All that lead to was leg injuries :(  We are also working on having a good form in a line from heel to shoulder and a lean that begins at the heal rather than the waist.  Overall, I am really pleased with my progress since returning to running in the last week of December 2017.

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2018 Race Schedule (90% Complete):

My 2018 race plan is less ambitious than it originally was, mostly due to schedule conflicts.  It was a bummer to find out that Utah is on my son's 10th birthday (top priority) and West Virginia is during my wife's annual family reunion they have been having at the same location for over 60 years (there is no missing that!).  The Spartan in Chicago conflicted with the only Toughest Mudder I could sneak in, so I prioritized Boston.  And in July, there were no races anywhere near me to travel to easily.

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What is also a bummer is that there are not enough races beyond Spartan and Tough Mudder in the PacNW.  We need to see more races up here like Savage and maybe a local series or two.  I am going to look into a couple NW Trail running series to see what I can do locally in July.

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Race Schedule:

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For folks who are counting...

I am setup to try for a Triple Trifecta in the Spartan Race series and "The Holy Grail" in the Tough Mudder series.  Lofty goals to be sure!  But why not aim high?