Are we there, yet?
Besides the races I've already registered for:
1/19 Clearwater HM
2/15 Jackpot Ultra 12-hour,
5/10 Ice Age Trail 50K,
7/4 local 15K (I'm willing to drop this one from my schedule),
9/20 North Coast Endurance 24-hour,
I'm also considering adding a local 24-hour track race on 5/31 and possibly one of the Niagara-on-the-Lake events (10K, HM, marathon, and 50K are offered) on 6/14. The only ones I'm really looking to push myself are the two 24-hour races, but I'm thinking that's a lot of long races in a year after spending years focusing on 800m to 5K. I may be letting my enthusiasm get me in over my head. Any suggestions, cautions, or go ahead and take the plunge?
Currently running between 35-50 miles per week averaging about 42 for the last 4 months. Since NC24 where I ran 49.6 miles in 12-hours my longest run has been only 15.1 miles.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
I'm probably not the best one to ask since I too have a lot of races on my schedule (although most will be training runs), but I think your first schedule looks fine. However, if you add the track 24-hour I'd either skip Ice Age, or just make sure you run it VERY easy as a training run. As for the Niagara races, do they sell out? Perhaps see how you feel after the 5/31 race before deciding upon a distance (although I'd recommend just doing the 10K or HM given you're just getting in to the long distances).
Thanks, EDRW. Ice Age will be my first trail ultra so I'm running it mainly for the experience. SueInTn also suggested on FB that I use it as a training run for the 24-Hour. She was also the one who alerted me to this race, Dawn to Dusk to Dawn, right in my backyard. I could turn the Niagara-on-the-Lake trip into a vacation and run the 10K for fun or as hard as my recovery allows.
Nah, race Ice Age, George. But that Niagara event might be too soon after D2D2D, especially if you truly race it. Depends on your recovery...
I'll see how I handle the trails around here before I decide to race Ice Age. I've hiked some of the trails in nearby state parks and I have a hard time imagining running on portions of those trails. Besides the hills being steeper than staircases, they are littered with rocks and roots. In places it's impossible to find a place to put your foot flat on the ground.
Everyone if different
I think almost everyone I talk to truly thinks they race hard. But the definition of hard is extremely variable. To some hard is they picked it up the last mile or so of a marathon, others are on the red line the whole race and completely destroy themselves.
1/19 to 2/15 - 1/2 marathon 4 weeks before 12 hour looks fine
2/15 to 5/10 - lots of time before 50k
5/10 to 5/31 - this is pushing it ~ even 50k easy will be hard on your body ... When I was traning hard 50k was a normal weekly run, unless it was 40+ miles. But unless you go into the Ice Age 50k with multiple (a couple a month) 30+ mile efforts, this will take a lot out of you. You will likely be able to turn around and do the 24 hour race, and even do well at it, but the 2nd race that close to the 50k will also likely cost you most of the summer before you feel good again. I have done 50M/50M 2 weeks apart and done well, but then it took 3+ months before I felt ok.
5/10 to 6/14 - 6 weeks is still a pretty close turn around, but I think you would be OK.
7/4 - OK
Personally if you want to do well at the NC24 ~ Skip the 5/31 24 hour race and build your whole season toward NC24.
July - August ... Train for the 24 with 4 specific runs where you pick a loop 1-3 miles and get nutrition, hydration etc dialed in. These 4 runs should cover 4-6 hours at your 12 hour race pace.
I am fuller bodied than Dopplebock
Ice Age is pretty easy compared to most single track trails. I would say the course is almost entirely runnable if you are trained for the hills and are comfortable with a few rocks and roots on the course.
5/10 to 5/31 - this is pushing it ~ even 50k easy will be hard on your body ... When I was traning hard 50k was a normal weekly run, unless it was 40+ miles. But unless you go into the Ice Age 50k with multiple (a couple a month) 30+ mile efforts, this will take a lot out of you. You will likely be able to turn around and do the 24 hour race, and even do well at it, but the 2nd race that close to the 50k will also likely cost you most of the summer before you feel good again. I have done 50M/50M 2 weeks apart and done well, but then it took 3+ months before I felt ok. 5/10 to 6/14 - 6 weeks is still a pretty close turn around, but I think you would be OK.
This sequence is the obvious concern. This year I ran a marathon as a training run 4 weeks before NC 24 using it to test my planned run/walk ratio, then a 20-miler 13 days before NC 24 as close as possible to what I hoped to run for the first 20 miles of the race. Having no basis for comparison I can't say whether that hurt or helped me, but I was very pleased with my NC 24 results. While I won't say I don't care about the results of the other races, NC 24 is my focus and I'd like to use what races I do run to help me prepare for that. Part of my thinking was that pacing a friend for sections of the second 12 hours at Jackpot, then running D2D2D would give me two opportunities to see how I handle going past the 12-hour mark. NC 24 this year is the only time I've ever gone past 6 hours.
I was thinking of Niagara primarily as an opportunity to meet one of my forum friends in real life for the first time. She's considering running the 50K. I'm not sure if pacing is allowed and even if it is, she's too fast for me to run with her even if I'm fresh and she's tired. I have no problem with dropping that from my proposed schedule.