I’m in a bit of a holding pattern right now with my next race. It’s supposed to be the NJ Devil 100 sometime in April, however registration has yet to open for it. Apparently, they’re having some issues getting their permits. I originally signed up to run this race in the fall off 2020 (rescheduled from the original April date), however COVID ended up cancelling it. I rolled my registration over to April of last year, but once again . . . COVID. And now it looks like I’ll end up striking out here this spring.

Being the experienced ultrarunner that I am, I obviously have a backup plan. Greenbrier 100M is on my tentative 2023 calendar* right now and I’ll just move it up a year and run it instead. It’s a smaller race so not much risk of it selling out. It’s just about the perfect contingency plan. The only snafus are that it’s a month before NJ Devil (late March) and is a hilly course vs. NJ Devil’s flat run through the Pine Barrens. The latter isn’t a big deal as I don’t really tailor my training too much for the races I do.

The late March date also isn’t too big of an issue. I figure if NJ Devil doesn’t open registration by early March, it’s not going to happen. I can then sign up for Greenbrier. The March date actually works better for my summer racing season as it would give me 2 months before Capital Backyard in May. Last year proved that I can race (well, run and finish at least) ultras in consecutive months when I ran at least a 50K monthly from April through October. My body held up well physically, but mentally I was definitely ready for a break. I was able to do well at Devil Dog, but that was more on muscle memory than any training I did heading into the race.

And I’ve just started getting back into training with my weekly mileage creeping up to 40 miles. There have been a couple 5am alarms recently where my will to get out the door for an 8 miler overcame my want of another hour of sleep. A month ago, I’m rolling over for some more Zs. Now I’m starting to get excited about upcoming races and wanting to improve my running. Well, at least a little.

I’ve also been pretty consistent with my core exercises. I’m not quite executing the plan as laid out, however I’m steadily increasing towards it. And I think it’s already starting to help. My driveway was a snow covered, slick mess last weekend after a storm. As I ran down it, I slipped and slid for a couple steps (with some sweet windmilling arm action), yet did not fall. Woo-hoo! I still have a long way to go, but it’s always nice to see some progress with exercises like that as a lot of times the benefits are hidden and you never really know if it’s doing anything for you or not. (And I realize I may be reading too much into 1 non-fall, but I refuse to see the glass as half empty.)

So while my race schedule is a little hazy in the immediate future, I’m motivated and on track to attack whatever comes my way. It’s a pretty good place to be right now.

* Yes, I plan my races out 2 years in advance. The second year is usually much more fluid than the next year. For example, the PA Triple Crown has been on this list for about five years yet for one reason or another, I keep pushing it out into the future.