Training for 2011

Well, for whatever it's worth I've decided that I'm going to start a blog about my training for the 2011 season! I've been following a few other bloggers, and they've given me some pretty awesome insight into all aspects of running; whether it's training, racing, or simply getting out there to enjoy the ride. This is something I've wanted to do for a few months now (as you can probably guess by my first post), so I figure what better time to start than the new year...even if I have missed a few weeks.

First off, here's a little history about me. I'm 20 years old and a Literature student at UC Santa Cruz. I've always enjoyed sports, but just kind of dabbled in them here and there in my earlier years. I began playing rugby in high school and loved that, until I found out about cyclocross and road cycling. Well, in typical me-fashion, I became completely obsessed and threw everything I had at it, competing in as many races as I could, which often was 5 or more a month. As can be expected, this eventually lead to burnout about 3 years after I started, so I decided it was time for a break from the bike. I laced up some running shoes in April/ May of 2010 just to keep in shape. And again, me being me, I became, and still am, completely obsessed with anything and everything running related.

I raced a few 10k's here and there, winning a local 10k trail series, before deciding that I wanted needed a new challenge. Logically, to me, the marathon seemed to fit the bill, so I began training religiously for the Morgan Hill Marathon in November, but after running two marathons in one training week, I looked for something longer. Having never raced anything over a 10k, I registered for the Dick Collins 50 miler in October, and a local 50k (Redwood Park) in September that I deemed my "training run" for the DC. I finished 8th overall and 2nd in my age at the 50k (my first ultra), and 30th overall at the 50 miler in a time of 8:29:23. Not too shabby. In November I raced another 50k, which I won, and since then I've just been hitting the training hard!

So far, the biggies of the 2011 season are:

Way Too Cool 50k
American River 50 mile
Vermont 100
Rio Del Lago 100

Well there it is. My long-winded history and short-term future of running. While I'm not exactly sure how useful this blog is going to be to a lot you readers out there, I hope it helps you on your journey with running, and maybe even along the way provides some insight on what works in training/racing...and what doesn't.