Antelope Island final prep

The Antelope Island Buffalo Run 100 miler will be starting 10 days from now on March 22nd and I am getting pretty excited. (click here for a larger version of the map at right).  I have learned a lot in the months that followed my less than stellar performance at Wasatch last year.  I finished that day but I did many things wrong along the way that left me in survival mode at the end.

I had a good performance at the Foothills Frenzy 50k in October and a great run at the Wilson Creek Frozen 50k in January.  I used some of my lessons learned at Wasatch to make sure I did the right things to finish strong and feel decent at the end.

I like to take my own advice to set a goal, tell everyone who will listen, and stick to the plan.  Here it is, my goal at Antelope Island is between 21 and 22 hours.  The plan is simple a) don't be stupid b) repeat step a. as many times as necessary.  Training is all but over so it is what it is at this point. 

Last year at Salt Flats I was at the half way point in just over 9 hours and 30 minutes so a 22 hour finish doesn't seem that unreasonable.  That was too fast for my fitness level and the conditions that day however.  This time I hope to do a better job listening to my body and recognizing that the smart thing to do in the first half is to bank energy, not time, when I still feel good.  Since last year, I have been more focused on building my endurance and containing my enthusiasm during the first half of races.  Over the winter, I have also had a good mix of hills and flats that has prepared me for this type of race.

I have also remained focused on strength training while attending classes at A2O Fitness with Jenny Mac.  Jenny always seems to get the best out of me and I love going to class each week.  I honestly think the conditioning circuit class was the main reason for my improved performance at Wilson Creek this year.  Everybody gets tired but being physically prepared has taken me further in races while still feeling decent.

My recent 15 pound weight loss will hopefully come in handy on race day too.  I am not pushing around too much excess these days but 15 pounds is a lot when you put it in tangible terms.  It is roughly equivalent to putting (6) two liter bottles in a backpack and running with it for an entire day.  Whew, that sounds exhausting.  I am sure it will be beneficial but not sure how to quantify it!  I am often amazed that I was able to carry an 'extra' (62) two liter bottles around with me before I lost my weight.

The final thing is not to go nutz between now and the race while tapering and recovering from months and weeks of hard work.  Happy Trails!