"You can always amend a big plan, but you can never expand a little one. I don't believe in little plans. I believe in plans big enough to meet a situation which we can't possibly foresee now." - Harry S. Truman
My 2013 racing plans took another turn recently when I decided to back off the idea of an early summer 100 miler. The New Year's excitement wore off and was replaced with a heavy stress of how I was going to swing training for the DRTE 100 with it's 29K feet of elevation gain while carrying on with normal life activities. The only answer was sacrifice. At the end of the day, I just couldn't make those sacrifices and feel good about the race. When I decided to "amend the big plan," I felt the weight release and the enthusiasm flood in as I thought about running other summer races here in CO.
Leadville is definitely the grandaddy, but I'm also bumping my 5 day Colorado Trail adventure to early July. I'm so fired up for a solo thru-hike to see how far I can get. In the meantime, I've got several other fine trail races to look forward to.
Moab's Red Hot 55K is this weekend. I wish I could snag another two weeks before toeing the start line for this one. My training post-Bandera has been about the worst I can remember. I've felt pretty blah and I just came off a week of no running in order to let a calf strain heal.
I did get over to Falcon a week ago for my first real vertical in 2 months. The run stunk and the calf strain was the gift I came home with. Thankfully, I was provided with a memory to last a lifetime. On the Parmalee trail, I heard this high pitched noise coming right at me. The adrenaline gushed and my hands went up. What I came upon was a grown man driving his remote control monster truck as he followed behind. Awesome! No self-defense needed.
Man, I just LOL'ed for real! Monster truck. Hey, at least there is the word 'monster' in the name.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to tell you about the time I thought I was being attacked by wild boars and it was really the sound of my camelbak running dry...
Sorry about the calf. I am perpetually in that boat and it sucks big-time.
Oh, you've been chased by wild boars too?? I'm glad I'm not alone on that one! Yes, I should have emailed the calf strain/tear/pop/bruising expert (a designation you don't want to have) when it first happened!
DeleteThe calf is now feeling good, but another quirky issue has taken its place. That's for another post if this craziness continues.
Sounds like a good call on DRTE. Above all else, running has got to be fun. You already have one job. Love the monster truck story. Classic. It takes all kinds, eh?
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about getting out on the trails. You really don't know what you're going to see out there. Two weeks ago during an early AM run, I came upon 50-70 elk in the HR backcountry. I've seen 5-8 before, but never a running herd like that. Glad they weren't coming at me.
DeleteYes, family is #1 and the race/training/family/work/life jigsaw puzzle pieces didn't fit no matter how I flipped them around. It was an easy decision.
Hi! I think I've told you I read your blog from time to time. I've been busy with work so barely have had time to update my own blog. Today I had some time to catch up and came across this post... which was weird... since I posted this: http://triwithaltitude.blogspot.com/2013/03/changing-plans.html roughly a month ago. I am a sucker for quotes, so I'm pretty sure (cause I always do this), I googled: "quotes about changing plans" and that's one of the few that came up. I'd like to say.. great minds think alike! :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be running the Desert R.A.T.S. in Fruita this weekend... have you done that race? Any pointers?
Gaby
Hey Gaby! Crazy that we had the same post title and quote! Looks like we've both done some shuffling of plans. What island are you going to in Hawaii? I've hiked/run on Maui & Kauai and can recommend some outings there....not that you want to go to HI and spend your time huffing and puffing in the hills. Relaxing on the beach sounds much more enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteI haven't run Desert RATS yet. Good luck out there!
Well... While I'd love to relax in Hawaii, both myself and my boyfriend can't seem to be able to just sit and relax for 7 days. Some adventure needs to be planned for us to enjoy the last two days on the Beach. :) I am also training for a 50-miler after all, so gotta keep the legs moving. We're going to the Big Island... and would LOVE some pointers on where to go hiking/trail running. We've booked a hotel for the last 4 nights, but the first two may be spent camping/backpacking. All we have is a rental car to take us somewhere, but neither one of us has been there, so not sure what to do. The Kilauea trails look pretty cool, but not sure how long all that is...
DeleteI like your style! Boy, I wish I could help with the Big Island adventures you seek, but I really don't know much at all. I'm sure it won't be hard to find amazing trails, waterfalls, volcanoes, and rain forests to explore. Have an awesome trip.
DeleteThanks! I'll keep you posted. Just in case you find yourself in the Big Island eventually... I'll make sure to look for good trails!
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