Relentless Forward Motion

To date, I’ve had a very quiet year on the race front. I think the tally after 9 months is something like Entered: 4, Started: 3, Finished: 2. I’ve pretty much written off the idea of doing anything major for the rest of 2011 but am looking instead to next year. Obviously, my big goal is going to be entering the Lakeland 100 again but unlike last year where I spent the winter thinking a lot about training and being depressed at the pounds I’d piled on, I intend to do more events more frequently so as to keep up the impetus.

At the moment, my plan involves the following events:

January: Winter Tanners (LDWA)
February: Punchbowl Marathon (LDWA)
March: Thames Path 100
April: Milton Keynes Marathon
May:
June: LAMM
July: Lakeland 100

May is currently clear although at one point I did have it in mind to try my luck in getting an entry for the Grand Union Canal Race but have decided that 145 miles of canal path that soon before the Lakeland is pushing it. I’ve already managed to get my entry in for the Thames Path 100 (Richmond to Oxford) and as that’s at the beginning of March, I can then afford to spend the rest of March recovering and still get 16 weeks of training in before the UTLD. The LAMM is something I’m thinking about as the hill experience 6 weeks before the Lakes will be good. The downside is that it’s another expensive weekend away. And I need a partner. Oh, and there’s that sleeping in tents thing. But hey, I do kind of enjoy it and I do intend to be fitter.

Those aren’t the only races though. Each year my running club has an off-road championships made up from a series of local races and club events. I’ve missed a fair few of them this year for one reason or another (bad diary management for the most part). The local Cross-Country league starts in a couple of weeks too so that’s something to keep me ticking over until February anyway. (The February XC match is the day before the 30 mile Punchbowl marathon so that could be a good weekend.)

Anyone else started sorting their plan out for next year already?