Spring is in the air?

OK, let's imagine that the last post didn't happen....with time I have been able to think a lot and do know that ultra trail running is my thing, is where I belong and I will participate in this until the day I die. Most of what has been going on with me started with not getting into Hardrock, then Deb talking about not going out to the race (she's in the starting field), which means I will most likely not be going to Silverton this year for the first time (other than the fire year of 2002) since 2000 when I first went out and paced Sue Johnston, all the while cursing Charlie Thorn and John Cappis for the extreme course. Little did I know I would fall in love with the course that weekend and want to be there every year! I went home and told Deb that she just HAD to come out the next year and see this beautiful place...we did and announced our engagement during the race at the Virginius aid station.

This is the photo of us toasting our engagement with chicken soup in styrofoam cups, we were offered a stronger beverage, but had a long way to go so declined.

Well, there's a reason for not going out this year and as hard as it will be to not make the drive to Silverton, as I have been doing every Summer for all of the 2000's, there is a reason and Deb makes all the sense in the world...but I will miss being at Hardrock, Camp Hardrock, the Potlick, The Avon, John and Charlie's long course briefing, the course marking days and all the friends that we have made over the past 9 years.

Our goal is to sell our house this year and move back to New Mexico, which is a good thing because it will get us to within 4.5 hours of Silverton year round! We need to stay here to maintain the house, it's garden and lawn to make it as attractive a house as we can make it. Leaving mid Summer would mean long uncut, brown grass and dead flowers out front....plus I still have a lot of work to do on it to make it a worthy purchase.

So back to the real reason for writing this post....yeah I will still run 100's and yeah I will enter Hardrock again next year. A lot of my decisions this year are based on the fact that I really do not enjoy running ultras in the East after running a year of ultras in the West. In 2006 we ran some of the most beautiful races in the world, Zane Gray 50, San Juan Solstice 50, Jemez Mountain Runs, Hardrock and many other smaller local events that are run on a weekly basis. Races like the Massanutten 100 no longer interest me and I knew that after running a good part of the Reverse Ring on the MMT trail, mentioned in the last post. I knew that even though my feet were on the nice and rugged Massanutten trails, my heart is in the Rockies. I will be at MMT doing much of the course marking with Kevin Bligan, course director and saying goodbye to those mountains that I spent so much time on.

Don't even talk about New England! There is nothing here because the weather window is only a few months, so they are all crammed in. I think possibly the best ultra in New England is the MMD 50K in August up in the White Mountains.

This is looking down into King's Ravine on the MMD 50k course

So, let's just say that 2009 is a time out of time...a little rest while we prepare to move to New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. I liken nothern NM to Colorado without all the snow. Winter is generally from around late December to early March, unlike here in New England where it can be anywhere from sometime in October until sometime in May. I want to go back and I'm going to put all of my energy into this effort, rather than train for and be away at ultra events.

Who knows, maybe the house will sell early and we can salvage some of our year in New Mexico :-)

...until the next time...

Steve

This is a photo of near where we lived in the beautiful Jemez Mountains...this photo was the one Deb used to paint the Jemez Mountain Trail Runs painting for the poster and is of Chicoma Mountain, which you see during the 50 miler.