I wish it was that easy. I’ve been toying with still running Bighorn 100 until today, as I really wanted to race Karl on that course, but today’s run insisted that my SI Joint isn’t ready for 1oo miles of pounding yet. I wish I could just flip a coin and choose according to luck…but, my SI Joint is a bit irritated after a hard 4 day block of running.
It was feeling really good the past couple of weeks and I went for a run with Chris and Darla Askew and Krissy on Sunday at Smith Rock with 2,250 feet of climbing after running hard at Duel in the Desert Duathlon on Saturday. It was encouraging and made me think about running Bighorn…but, today on a tempo run, it got a little irritated…no 100 miler yet, my body told me it’s not ready for running really hard yet. So, I’m back to cycling and still running every other day with no super long runs or hammering it back to back days…except on the bike…at least I have that outlet or I’d drive my wife nuts!
So, I’m definitely racing Test of Endurance 50 Mile MTB race near Corvallis, OR on June 21. I’m looking forward to racing my bike. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a XC mtb race, but will be a good tester for gear and nutrition for the inagural High Cascade 100 MTB race held here in Bend in my own backyard in August. Sweet.
I have to say, I’m still feeling a little like a newbie with regard to gear for this type of event. After 40 ultramarathons, including 7 hundreds, I’ve got my ultramarathon gear and nutrition dialed, but the bike regimen is different for sure. I’m playing with liquid nutrition in a bottle and water in a minimalist camelbak. Only a true race will prove how it works. I’m heading out for a 5-hour ride on Friday morning on my mountain bike to test out race specific stuff.
Actually, a little luck was on my side today…or a perk at least. After dealing with the true reality of not being able to run Bighorn, I started to focus mentally on the bike and getting ready for TOE 50. The perk? Teague at FootZone just got shop bike kits. I got the opportunity to design them for him and will soon post a pic of the kit design. It will be fun to sport the shop stuff and support Teague, he’s been such a HUGE supporter over the years of my ultra races and my graphic design business, Goodeye. Off to spin circles in my sleep. Giddyup.