Yes, tomorrow is the opening of the Western States 100 lottery. This is the first time I’ve seriously thought about entering and I’ve pretty much made up my mind to put my name in. Up until today, I had pall but decided not to enter for fear of getting picked. Chances are not good of being picked the first year but if your name comes up, you have to do it. You just have to. It’s Western States for Pete’s sake!
A few things were on my mind:
On the plus side: I’ve got my 100 miles qualifier in the bag. I’m healthy. I’m willing to train.
On the minus side: I’ve heard people who run much better than me say that they don’t think they can finish in 30 hours (the cutoff). The heat is a problem. The altitude won’t help.
Well, I don’t care about the negatives. Well, I do care a bit, but they reflect my insecurities and I’m using them as excuses not to do it. The fact is that I can train for heat. I can train for hills. What am I really afraid of? I think my biggest fear is to miss a cutoff. I guess I’ll have to train for speed too then.
So you bet I’m in! I probably won’t get in, but I have as much chance as the next guy. Should I get picked, I have a plan: back to training with coach Derrick, who trained me for Susitna and Haliburton. I would definitely need help for that one. If I’m not picked then it’s all good too. I’m sure I’ll find something crazy to do in 2011.
A few things were on my mind:
On the plus side: I’ve got my 100 miles qualifier in the bag. I’m healthy. I’m willing to train.
On the minus side: I’ve heard people who run much better than me say that they don’t think they can finish in 30 hours (the cutoff). The heat is a problem. The altitude won’t help.
Well, I don’t care about the negatives. Well, I do care a bit, but they reflect my insecurities and I’m using them as excuses not to do it. The fact is that I can train for heat. I can train for hills. What am I really afraid of? I think my biggest fear is to miss a cutoff. I guess I’ll have to train for speed too then.
So you bet I’m in! I probably won’t get in, but I have as much chance as the next guy. Should I get picked, I have a plan: back to training with coach Derrick, who trained me for Susitna and Haliburton. I would definitely need help for that one. If I’m not picked then it’s all good too. I’m sure I’ll find something crazy to do in 2011.
