Planning Season

Well, it's time to commit to some race plans for the year. Training is getting going. I had a 50 mile week when I did the 50K and then took a light week. Last week was a reasonable 46 miles, but I haven't yet gotten going on serious weekend long runs. That should start this week and I am going to try and layout a schedule that gets back to the back-to-back running I did last year in prep for Ohlone.

OK, for the races. My main goal this season revolves around doing my first 100K which is at the Miwok 100K Trail Race which I am already entered in for May 5, 2007. I was lucky to sign up early as it filled fast and I know a lot of people who did not manage to get in.
Working backwards from there, I have signed up for the American River 50-mile Endurance Run which is three weeks back on April 14 which I will try to use as a sort of last long training run.
I am considering, but haven't yet signed up for, doing the Ruth Anderson 50K/50M/100K run on March 31 as it allows you to pick your distance as you go. I would plan on just doing the 50K, but might continue on to the 50M if I felt good. This is a loop race which totally freaks me out as I dislike running repeated loops so it would have a definite extra mental component.
If I bail on Ruth Anderson I will likely do the Pacific Coast Trail Runs race at Pirates Cove on March 24 as it covers some of the same trails as Miwok.
Beyond Miwok, my plans are much more vague. I would love to repeat at the Ohlone 50K as it is the 20th anniversary. However, it is only 2 weeks after Miwok on May 20 so it may be a bit much to bite off. I need to decide on this soon as it is filling up fast!
If I don't do Ohlone, I may return to the my home mountain and do Mount Diablo on June 2.
The rest of my summer is pretty much open and I may just take a couple easy months after a busy spring schedule. I do plan to return to the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 for a repeat on the 25th anniversary of the event. Everything else will just depend on how I feel. Who knows, maybe things will go so great that I'll want to enter a Fall 100-miler. That is, assuming any are open still.

Speaking of seasons, I often hear the charge that California doesn't have seasons. That is simply not true. We have 4 seasons, they just aren't quite what other parts of the nation are used to. Here out seasons consist of Spring, Late-spring, Fall and The Rainy Week. It was really rainy last week so guess what that means...it must be Spring! And, what does the weather report say for tomorrow in my area? That's right, 70 degrees and sunny, perfect running weather!!!

(My apologies to anyone who might accidentally to read this from the Midwest where there is a Clipper Storm brewing and especially anyone from Western NY where they are buried under snow and expecting more this weekend.)