One Week to PYP.

This is the time of year that the long runs start getting really long, and time on feet becomes the main goal. That takes a lot to get through mentally and one of the tools I’ve been using to manage it is listening to podcasts. There are two that particularly like. 100mileultrarunning.com and Dirt Dawg’s Running Diatribe. I favour the first as it is geared more towards ultrarunning, especially 100 milers. The creater of 100mile… is very experienced at 100 milers doing the grand slam a few years ago. Last year while listening to one of his podcasts I found that he was creating a new grand slam series, the Mid West Grand Slam. This series consists of the Kettle Moraine 100, The Mohican 100, Burning River 100 and the Hallucination 100 all done within one calendar year. I am thinking that this might be a legitimate goal for next year. I really enjoyed Burning River last year and would love to go back, I may even go down again this year and volunteer.

In the mean time I have been getting out a lot on the trails lately and enjoying it immensely. Mostly on the Pick Your Poison course at Horseshoe. I forgot how tough it can be, especially when you’re not used to running on the trails. But after a couple of weeks I’m feeling better about it. Last weekend I went out to the Ontario Ultra Series Warm Up event in the small village of Dunedin, Ontario that is, not Florida. I went there with Bill Lovett with a goal to complete three loops for 39k. It is a tough loop with not much but hills and where it is flat it’s trails which are never “flat”. At least this year the trails were snow free and provided for some good running. But if you think the up hills are bad the final 2.5k are all down hill and it is a rather steep gravel road which has been newly grated. Three times down that sucker and you know it.
The next day I met Bill and a few others at Horseshoe for another couple of loops around the PYP course. It was a little difficult at first. The stiff legs taking a while to get going, but soon enough we were running good, by the second loop we were pushing it hard. At least a lot harder than I was expecting to run..
Monday morning came and I was feeling like I’d run a hard marathon. I haven’t felt that way in a long while. It felt somewhat good!!!

This week I have decided to take it easy and use it as a rest week. I ran Tuesday and Thursday on trails at Simcoe County forest and wore my vibrams on Thursday that went good and I think I will use them on all the Tuesday and Thursday runs. Wednesday was the usual Running Room run with the guys and we ran up Ferndale hill by the dump. It is an intimidating hill, but I always run it good.
This weekend I will do maybe only a light run. Time for some rest and relaxation instead. I think my body could use it. The next few months see lots of racing coming up. From next Saturday to the middle of June sees me running an event, organized or not, every two weeks. Included in this is the 3rd annual Night Run to Orillia and back. An "event" that we started for my training for Burning River. It has taken a life of its own now and we have probably a dozen or more interested parties in doing at least part of the run or supporting the run. For those who don't know, we start at the lakeshore in Barrie at about 8pm and run the rail trail to the Home Hardware in Orillia. We usuall y arrive around midnight, refuel and turn around for the run back getting back to Barrie at about 4:30 am or so. Up to now I am the only one who has completed the full distance, but I have had a few who have said they may attempt it this year. I usually have a good group for the first half and one or two for the return trip. Looking forward to it and hope the weather is as good as it has been in the past two years.

So no rest for the wicked.