What's Next?

All endurance runners get this question, and ask it of themselves, especially after a race.  What's next?  Especially after a 100, it's almost a "How are you going to top that?" 

The answer is, I'm probably not.  100s are hard.  Not just the race, but all the training.  And they prey on your weaknesses.  Let's break it down.

My Strengths:

• No sleep issues.  I don't think I even yawned once in either 100.  This would serve me even better in tougher 100 milers.
• Persistence.  Mentally I usually stay pretty strong, even in multi-loop 100 milers were it would be so easy to drop while steps from my car.
• Speed and endurance.  For races with reasonably generous time limits, I usually stay safely ahead of cut-offs, which gives me a lot of buffer if things do go wrong.
• Race prep.  I'm a planner.  I read all I can about races, and I'm rarely surprised or unprepared.
• Training.  I'm fortunate to be retired early, so I've got plenty of time and flexibility to get all the training in I need, including the long slow runs so important for the longer ultras. 

My Weaknesses:

• Eating.  I'm a very picky selective eater to begin with.  I know some of you will be shocked to hear this. ;-) For example, just the smell of peanut butter makes me a little ill.  I'll get to an aid station and know I need to eat, but I won't see anything that really appeals to me so I'll grab a few pretzels and go.  Being able to take in fuel is essential for a long race, and I have trouble with it. 
• Feet.  My feet probably take the biggest beating in most runs. Even with the well-cushioned Altra Olympus I use a lot, the bottoms of my feet are very sore late in a run, and after.  I last longer on soft trails over roads, but rocky trails are probably the worst.  Hokas are too narrow for me, btw. When I get out of bed in the morning, it's a hobble, mostly due to my feet hurting.  Not just a little bit, it's a full-on old man hobble, and I usually grab the hand rail my first time down the stairs. 
• Knees.  I had a fluke ski accident in 2012, and tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus.  Surgery was  successful, and I've now run more marathons and ultras since the accident than before.  I also ski as aggressively as before.  But, I don't think the knee is 100% stable, which gives me problems on technical climbs and descents.  I start to get just a bit wobbly, and as I continue, the wobbling puts more stress on my knee, and I feel more pain and weakness.  It's not bad, but it's enough to slow me down, and truthfully, it's just not fun.  Instead of bombing down hills, I'm carefully picking my way to reduce the strain.  Even flatter technical trails become a challenge.  There's no joy in it.
• Age.  I just turned 55.  I haven't lost that much speed, but I have lost some.  Recovery takes longer.   The direction is clear, but fortunately the fade is slow.

I like running on roads.  Paved, dirt, whatever.  I like running on rail trails.  I like running on technical trails.  I like running alone.   I like running with people.  I guess what I'm saying is, I like running.  And I want to keep running for as many years as I can, and I want to keep enjoying it.

So where does that leave me? 

Mountain 100s are out.  All those things I listed under weaknesses would really make it tough.   I think I could finish with the longer cut-off times, but I don't think I'd like it.  I want to do some trail runs for fun with friends, but not all the time out of necessity for training.

Flat 100s, I'm not too excited about anymore.  I got my goal, so I don't know what would motivate me to get me through the training and race again.  I felt like Tunnel Hill training took over my life this year and I don't really like that.  It wasn't even a very fun race, more of a survive and grind it out day.

Never say never, but 100s seem to be out.  Maybe I'll have a change of heart and put in for Western States in 2018, or find another race that intrigues me, but as of now I'm saying I'm done.

I've never done a 100K, and haven't had much success with 50 milers.  I'm not ruling them out, but I'm not too fired up to do another.  Comrades (56M in South Africa) interests me.  Maybe I'll try to finally do well at Mountain Masochist, or do something else local like Bull Run Run or Stone Mill.

Marathons and 50Ks seem to be in my wheelhouse.  A few hours and done.  I've got those pretty well dialed in that I can give a good constant effort and feel good about it.  I can run one hard and still enjoy the rest of a vacation if it's a destination race.  I'm still ahead of the curve on qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and would like to stay there, even if I don't do that race every year.  I think I can still hold up well even on mountain 50Ks so I'll still do some of them, but it won't be my focus. 

So there it is, marathons and 50Ks are mostly what I'll be doing. That tells you something about the people I hang around with, that I have to rationalize "only" doing 26-31 mile races.

Specifically for 2017, I'm doing the Boston Marathon in April.  I might do a Monday-Saturday double by following it up with the Blue Ridge Marathon in Roanoke, and maybe even a triple with the Promise Land 50K a week later.

Registration doesn't open yet, but I am probably going to take a trip out to Washington state for the Light at the End of the Tunnel marathon in June.  Less certain about fall, but a return to the Peak to Creek Marathon is possible.