I'm retired from racing. Really.

Quick report- ran the most disappointing race of my life in terms of expectations vs performance. Heck, I even got quadruple chicked. But, I had a blast on the muddiest run I've ever had. Rain and mud the whole time. 50 miles of mud and steep hills were very enjoyable. Bad race, fun run. More to follow.

Update 4 months later- finally did a Race Report compilation, including for this race. It's all on my Greenshortsrunning blog. 

Well, my week of doing nothing was great and I'm already itching to get running again. But, I'm going to do another week of xt or maybe very light running. I haven't even put on much weight.

On the bad side, I missed getting into Western. Now I have to hope the MMT 100 lottery is nicer to me tomorrow. 50 percent odds in that one. Interesting lottery, if you don't know about it. I'm number 748. If I miss that one, too, then I'll really have to think about what I want to run next year.

No running again this week, but lots of XT plans (kettle bell training, bike, frisbee, spin class, abs).  6 miles xt today.

Well, I had better than 50% odds of getting into MMT 100, and I didn't.  In face, I'm 3/4 of the way down the wait list.  With an entrants field of 205, I'm number 142 on the wait list.  That doesn't look promising.  At least I can start planning my 2013 schedule now, even if I didn't get either of the 100's I wanted.  Maybe I should run Leona Divide to try racing my way into Western. 

Lunch- first spin class of my life. Enjoyable.  Nice to burn a few calories, even if not near as many as I'm consuming this holiday season.

So I just went off the deep end (the plunge has been quick) and inquired with "someone who knows" today regarding how I apply for the Barkley Marathons.  Ever since I had dinner with 30% (at the time) of the finishers in the whole world of this race, it's been on my mind.  Since I didn't get into any of the other races I was contemplating, I figured I might as well try for this one.  I'm just ignorant and stupid enough to want to try it.  I may be stupid, but at least I'm not in denial about it... which would definitely be a worse place to be.  At least for those around me.

Tibata workout at lunch. Wow, that one was the toughest of the week.

Lunch- about an hour of some fun Ultimate.

Back to running again- 6 miles at lunch.  Felt like you would expect after 2 full weeks off (my longest break since Christmas 2008).  Gotta clean out the cobwebs from the legs.

Lunch- 2x IITWI obstacle course, hopefully winning both coed and male divisions.  Tiring, especially since this one was longer than recent ones.

PM- PM with Justin and Barry on a perfect night for running- clear skies, bright moon, low 50's.  Good times.  Felt much better than yesterday.  Normal route, 11.5 miles in just over 2 hrs. 

Looks like I'm already over my highest annual mileage ever from 2012.  Might get a few more runs in this year, too.

Nada.  Stayed home with my 4 year old after she had a tooth pulled and got 2 crowns.

Lunch- fitness assessment at work, including 1.5 miles fast, then 6 miles in the rain with Aaron, Shamgar, and Grogg.  A bit chilly and wet.

AM- 5 and then 2 in my Altras.  Trying to get used to them again.  They sure make my calves a bit sore, still

Lunch- 7 with Fedor on a cool, windy day.  Cold front moving in. 

Lunch- slept in, played with the kids, then went for a run on a beautiful day (sunny, 50 deg). 10 miles.

AM- Nice trail run with Justin at Croft State Park.  Cool and drizzly, turning to downright hard rain and puddles by the end.  Always nice to get on singletrack.  And Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year.  Merry Christmas, everyone!  16 miles in 2:40-ish.

PM- 8 miles while Zachary was sleeping and everyone else was playing. I love Christmas.

PM- 8 miles after dark.  40 deg and windy means 32 deg windchill- my test Saucony jacket actually came in useful (cool enough I didn't sweat and get the inside all wet).  Bench marathon tomorrow with Jeremy. 

AM- Met a few guys (Jeremy, Byron, and Merle) on the FHT to do the Bench marathon. Was going pretty easy on the way out- 2:12 to the bench (usually about 6 min faster, though there were some big downed trees to climb today- and I mean big). On the way back, Merle had knee pain so we walked with him a while, then Jeremy wasn't feeling well.  Then I caught Byron and we talked about Barkley a bunch, as he's a veteran of it, including 2 time Fun Run finisher.  Unfortunately, it appears my lottery luck continues and I didn't get an email from the RD saying I was chosen.  I just have no luck this year- 4 lotteries so far that were unsuccessful.  Hopefully I can get into Chuckanut, at least.  Anyways, finished the 24.5 mile run in 4:49, my slowest run by over 30 min, though I was still tired.  Too much holiday food.  Now I better rest for Harbison 50k next weekend.

PM- 6.5 easy

PM- finally got out for my run at 3:30 pm. Ran my new favorite loop off Georgia road. Nice, rolling country roads with little traffic, only a few mean dogs, and even some dirt shoulders to run on. Cool and very windy. I normally don't run the day after my long runs since they are on Saturday, though my long run this week was Thursday. Yesterday, I had trouble hitting 8 min pace. Today, I was hitting 7 min pace rather easily even with hills and wind. Finished 17 miles in about 2:04 with 900 ft climbing.

AM- Paris Mtn trail run.  Ran 14 miles total, with Justin joining for the middle 5.  Cool temps, uncrowded trails.  Felt good and enjoyed the last trail run of the year.  Even did the last bit with my Altra Lone Peaks, first run ever with them.  My calves are now a bit sore, unsurprisingly.  14 miles, 2:07 with 2000 ft climbing.