Saturday 1 December 2012

Race plans for 2013



So I'm new to this race schedule planning. I realise the importance of races for me as a motivational factor. Which always shows through on the days when my drive to get out in inclement weather is tested sufficiently. 




My first priority is to select at least 2 events that will look to push my ultra distance further. A secondary consideration is to pick out the sort of races and venues that will continue to inspire and motivate my running progression. This specifically for me means locations remote and with plenty of vertical gain.





The first event planned goes significantly in the face of my secondary goal, in that it'll be relatively flat. Still I can't negate the benefits for my confidence of it being a 40miler. The event in question is the Dukeries Ultra in Nottinghamshire. It will essentially take in the Robin Hood way, Creswell Crags and the Major Oak. So although not necessarily on my radar of mountainous terrain, the offset will be some nice landmarks to break up the journey.

The aim at the Dukeries is to move on from the relative annoyance of the stomach upset at Ennerdale and make a better sustained running effort. The lack of elevation will certainly assist in this. The downside being that I often find my advantage in races comes on the climbs. Still a number of long training runs, with elevation, should well prepare me for a long sustained effort with mild inclines at best. I would like to aim for a top ten finish, really just to massage my ego. But with the sheer volume of training in ultras it would be nice to get the reward at the end.

If all goes well at this event, I'll be looking to enter the Ultra Tour of the Peak District if the event is run again. I would anticipate this will be around August time. Plenty of time to get some good training in and a couple of recces in!

In and around these two ultra efforts, I'd like to look at getting a few shorter trail efforts in. The local gritstone series has taken my fancy. It will give the opportunity to get in some quicker races and improve my overall speed.

So I'm pretty excited already, and the following year should, all going to plan, get in some decent ultra efforts...





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