Today's workout was a recovery seven miles at the track. I didn't push the pace because I don't want to overdo it after my sixteen miles on Sunday. I felt good and it was not too hot today because it was overcast and misting a little bit. When I was 50 feet from my front door it started to pour down rain, so I avoided getting soaked!
Did I mention that work is hell?
OK, now for the big news. I've mentioned once or twice on this blog my desire to race in some ultra distance races. Well, the time may come sooner than I thought. In a recent post I told you about Ollie Nanyes, a fellow racewalker who walked 101 miles in 24 hours. Ollie's goal is to become a Centurion--this is the official designation for a walker/racewalker who has walked 100 miles in 24 hours. Ollie's 101 mile attempt didn't count because it wasn't an officially sanctioned Centurion event and did not have walk judges. A few weeks later Ollie tried to become an official Centurion at a race in Rotterdam but he was too drained from his previous race and only completed 81 miles.
Ollie recently announced that he was asking race directors of other 24 hour events to allow judges to monitor the walkers who are seeking Centurion status. One of the races he is targeting is the Ultracentric 24 & 48 Hour Run here in Dallas on November 26-28. Centurion races are rarely held in the U.S. (they are much more common in Europe and Australia), so I'm trying to decide if I want to train for this event. It would have a major impact on my training (and my life):
1. I would probably only do two races before Ultracentric: the July 4th Flagpole 8k (for old time's sake) and the Palo Duro Trail 50 (as a 50 mile training race).
2. I will probably have to build up to three long walks per week (4-5 hours). Each week will vary, of course, and I will scale back every third week to give my body a break, but a typical week might be:
Monday--off
Tuesday--2-5 hours
Wednesday--5-6 miles
Thursday--5-6 miles
Firday--off
Saturday--4-5 hours
Sunday--4-5 hours
I don't want to overdramatize and say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's not. It is, however, a good opportunity to reach one of my long term goals, and there is no guarantee that there will be another opportunity any time soon. It's also a good opportunity because I wouldn't have to travel to the event; this would reduce the stress and the cost of the event. It would also be great because my family could be there to crew for me and keep my spirits up.
So this is what is on my mind lately. I'm excited and a little scared, but I think that there is no harm in trying (as long as I train sensibly and take the mileage progression slowly).
Like the quote on my blog homepage says, "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." -- T.S. Eliot
Anyone out there have any thoughts?
Distance: 7.12 miles
Time: 1:24:18
Pace: 11:50
