A New Year

Well…hello again. Its been quite awhile since I've posted any type of blog so time for a little catch up. First a little review of 2013. In '13 I had big plans of really breaking into the Ultra world and seeing what I could really do. For the first half of the year I had the freedom to put in any kind of mileage that I wanted which turned out to be a curse. I did find out that I can handle 100+ mile weeks but I don't perform very well with them. I found it just leaves me feeling run down even on race day. I did have some real strong racing in '13 and it was when my mileage was lower and the race distance was no longer than 50k. Another thing that changed halfway through the year was starting a new job. It is a very labor intensive job and I work 4:30am-3pm most weeks. On top of that I gained sole custody of my son along with being a loving Fiancé my "free time" has changed a bit. Looking back at my training for the last couple of years I've noticed the higher intensity training regardless of overall mileage does well for me. I decided at the end of '13 that I would focus this year on being in the best marathon/50k shape I could possible be in for road and trail with a few key 50 milers in the mix. I started the year with Yankee Springs Winter Challenge 50k on Jan 4th. I really wanted to go after the course record this year but mother nature had other plans with a thick blanket of snow on the course, oh yeah Michigan in January. I won by 28 minutes and felt good the whole race. Next on the schedule is the Groundhog Marathon in Grand Rapids Feb. 2nd, tomorrow. Once again we are supposed to have snow dumped on us so "time" will not be a goal of mine just out there to finish as high as a can. I may run the Kal-Haven 50k+ on April 5th as a last long training effort for my goal race this spring, Indiana Trail 50 mile April 26th. I really want to go for the win and beat my PR of 6:24 for 50 miles. The rest of the year will include a lot of half marathon to 50k races leading up to the USATF 50 mile road championship on Oct. 26th. I am fortunate to have this passion and a little success with it. I am very proud and excited to say that I have two sponsors for 2014. I am once again part of the UltrAspire Elite Immortal program. I do believe that they make the best hydration equipment on the market and they are a great bunch of people. I also am happy to be a part of the Wolfhound Racing Team. They offer many great products for runners, cyclist, and crossfit folks. I have links for both of my sponsors on my blog, check them out. Looking forward to a stellar 2014, hope to see you out there running!