my new endurance project
I'm starting a new endurance project. One that's big enough, questionable (i.e. stupid) enough, and soon enough that it just might keep me motivated. I'll be posting about it here over the coming weeks, but here's how it started.
One of regional trail races that's been on my to do list for a while is the Escarpment Trail Run, a tough, rocky 30K race held every July in the Catskill Mountains. Not far from there is the Devil's Path, a classic 25 mile hike that I did in a long day with my friend Julia a few years ago. Sometime last year I remembered how Dean Karnazes had run an ultra distance on the way to the start of an ultra event. I looked on the map and sure enough, there's a trail linking the east ends of the Devils Path and the Escarpment Trail. I thought, someday I should run Devils and arrive in time for the start of the Escarpment race. (Not this year.)
If you link those two trails together, you get 61.2 miles - just shy of 100K. I started thinking about running it, or hiking it, in one straight shot this fall. 100K on the toughest trails in the Catskills - hardcore. I started telling people about it. One person here, another person there. I started to commit to it in my mind. I mentioned it to Hugo, my former adventure racing teammate in Texas, and he said he would fly out and do it with me, provided we set a date. So we did - September 19th.
Then I looked at the calendar and started getting worried. I searched the internet for ultra training plans, but they all go back 6-9 months and assume you're in marathon shape. I got really worried. There is no way a person could train for an ultra in 10 weeks.
Thankfully, I realized this is not an ultra. It's not a race. It's whatever kind of test I want it to be. Even if I'm feeling awesome by event day I'll still stash camping gear with my shoes and nutrition at the midway point, just in case. If I'm feeling physically unprepared then I'll stash a car or bike with the gear.
Besides, I feel more excited about this than about anything I've done outside in a long time. If it's not impossible, why do it?
