Those are hard choices, WCR. There are so many unknowns that pop up.

Speaking of timed races, Mrs. "nOOky" showed up in my feed today - looks like she had a great Goosebumps!

dhuffman - the key to fixed time races is to keep moving forward and minimize the breaks and time at the aid station. I couldn't see anything specific about this, but on a loop that long I assume only full laps are counted. That may make 40 miles right at the edge of possibility based on your other times. If my calculations are correct, 19 laps gets you 39.9 miles. I'd suggest just concentrating on getting 50K and a buckle with anything after that as a nice bonus. If you get great weather like I did and you don't have any major issues with nutrition, 40 miles will be a good goal. I think you'll enjoy being able to see other runners the entire race and maybe have company on some of those laps.

Race report for WAM 55k:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/3968205/posts/3106361

TMH - 55k is around 34 miles, we switched to kms in 1981, so my first 3 cars were in miles, so understand both. I've only worn Merino wool, which is the same as Smartwool I think. I work in the same building that Icebreaker is designed in, so got a discount. The shirt is really good, I shredded the socks in my 100k, have yet to find an indestructible sock for tough races

Fnkyhd - I had a DNF this year in my 100k, didn't make the time cutoff. I gave up mentally, was having stomach problems, I think I could have gotten past them. I was running strong again just before I missed the cut, but it was too late. I think you need to pack warmer clothes than your would think you'd need for a mountain 100 miler, you move slower in the dark, and everything is covered in sweat, coming from the guy that's never run 100 miles.

Wcrunner - snow wasn't so bad, I was more careful though

DHuffman: Thinking about WC's comment about 50k vs. 40 miles.  You'll have to know when you start the race what you are aiming for.  In other words, you can't start the race pacing for 50k and then decide later to go for 40 miles.  50k may be your B goal, but if 40 miles is your A goal then you have to start at that pace/plan at the beginning, and then fall back if it's not your day.  The problem with A goals though is that the more ambitious they are, the more likely they are to screw up your B/C/etc. goals (exhibit 1:  Jim Walmsley DNF'ing during his second Western States attempt).  I don't know if 40 miles is reasonable for you or not, but 40 miles in 12 hours is about 3 1/2 miles/hour, or a fast walk on average (not accounting for any stops).  You've gone 24-31 miles a few times already this year, so you know how that makes your body feel.  You have to figure out if you can endure that level of discomfort up to 40 miles if you maintain that level of effort or perhaps something slightly slower.  You are signed up for a 50 mile race so you must believe that you can endure.  I'll give a variation on WC's advice - if 40 is appealing, start the race aiming for that but understand the backup plan and make sure it leaves you in a position to succeed at that.  E.g. if you start aiming for 40, and are on track for 36 after 6 hours (18 miles), then maybe scale back to your 50k goal so you have 6 hours to go 13 miles vs. not scaling back and fading from 40 to 36 to 32 to 28 to who cares...

dhuffman - SeattleMax said what I was getting at a little more clearly. He's also a lot more experienced than I am, so take his advice.

SeattleMax - Are you still planning on running at Crooked Road? I'm trying to decide my goals for the rest of the year and I'm tentatively thinking of running Piedmont 8-Hour on 10/27, registering for Crook Road on 11/17 but intending to run only 12 hours, then run another 24-hour race at ATY, probably 12/28, the first day. Any thoughts on that considering the 38.8 miles at NC 24 put me close to my current limits? I'd welcome anyone else chiming in as well.

FnkyHd - thanks for the race report, puts it all in perspective. I haven't had to deal with the death of a parent yet, watched my dad have a stroke when he was in his early 40s, but he's still around. I think dealing with all that on top of the stress of the race would be a lot. For some it might be cathartic, but everyone is different, I haven't made it past 50 miles so have no idea. I have hypertropic cardiomyopathy and a heart murmur, I sometimes wonder if I should push hard in races, or if ultra distance is even worse. I had one syncope incident, which is when I was checked, and I've been fine since. They couldn't say 100% my fainting was from my heart, and not just dehydration of something like that. Enjoy travelling with your family while they still enjoy it. Having 2 morose teenagers in the house makes me miss the laughter that I used to hear. Some people like 50 milers, some like 5ks, everyone is different, I'm still experimenting. I like 50ks, and 50 milers feel good to finish. I'd like to experience some longer distances, hard to say whether it will be for me or not

thanks! it all points to the mental side of things. i know i was having problems but it was mental really. there is a weak, beaten up, whimpering little boy inside me that i have built a stone wall around. i forgot about him but the wall got broken down and now i know he will always be there. denial wont work for a 100M. i keep thinking about the last time i was like that and it was 2005 attempting to hike the JMT with my friend. i was pathetic, lost my friendship and i think part of what drives me in ultras is to try and quash that part of me. but he is still there. buried way down. man 100M sure strips off a lot of layers! speaking of layers i did have winter tights and a down vest in the drop where i quit but i was still cold when i put on the vest but i wasnt moving either at that point. i wonder if LVH is a for of hypertropic cardiomyopathy. i worry about a-fib. it's so common and then they put you on medications that are really awful for you. DD is 12 and she is getting to that morose phase...perhaps you and DW can keep the laughter rolling!

That's a lot of ultras for one year, and some of those were pretty hard races to boot. I did 8 last year and I was burned out! Sounds like a fun race, I'd like to make it back up there to try another race in the area.

Race report for WAM 55k:

 

https://www.strava.com/athletes/3968205/posts/3106361

 

TMH - 55k is around 34 miles, we switched to kms in 1981, so my first 3 cars were in miles, so understand both. I've only worn Merino wool, which is the same as Smartwool I think. I work in the same building that Icebreaker is designed in, so got a discount. The shirt is really good, I shredded the socks in my 100k, have yet to find an indestructible sock for tough races

 

Fnkyhd - I had a DNF this year in my 100k, didn't make the time cutoff. I gave up mentally, was having stomach problems, I think I could have gotten past them. I was running strong again just before I missed the cut, but it was too late. I think you need to pack warmer clothes than your would think you'd need for a mountain 100 miler, you move slower in the dark, and everything is covered in sweat, coming from the guy that's never run 100 miles.

 

Wcrunner - snow wasn't so bad, I was more careful though

FnkyHD - we're always our own toughest critics. It takes a lot of courage to attempt something that you could fail at, most of the world doesn't. I think I don't appreciate my achievements enough sometimes, always feel I could have done better. Probably true at some level. Safety and family are always going to be more important than finishing a race. HCM at least for me is hereditary, I have a thickened heart wall, the cells don't form normally. So you end up with an enlarged heart, but still have lower stroke volume, and usually a leaking heart valve. They always say it's a good thing I don't smoke, because that hardens the heart wall, and makes everything that much worse. Exercise is good, but maybe not at the ultra level. I don't do a lot of hard workouts, so hard to say what the risk is

Nooky - Whistler was a fun race, technically shouldn't be harder than Buckin' Hell, the trails were overall smoother. About the same amount of climbing, although you do a large portion of the climbing right from the start. And it's 5km longer. I want to do the 110 or 175 next year, would probably be my goal race for the year

Dhuffman - I've never done a timed race, figuring out what kind of pace you can maintain for 12 hours is the key. 18:00/mi for 40 miles, but you need to factor in aid station stops. A guy I work with did a 24 hour, and he ran at 8:50/mi and took a 5 minute break every hour. He was going for 240km, didn't make it, he got sick. You could have a goal per lap, and figure out how much of a break to take at the aid station, or even whether to stop every time you hit the AS