[Day566]

A general update, nothing much for me to write about. Last week Catoctin run was hard.

slight injury: My left ankle improved a bit but still hurt whenever I run. It takes a lot of stretching for the pain to go away. It wasn’t just the ankle being weak, it was everything hurts. Flexing and unflexing the foot hurt. It hurts when it is extended and it hurts when it is curl up. Rotating it too hurts. My left shin hurts too.

My 100 mile race is in two weeks. Yikes indeed. I don’t know how that will be. Of course I cannot run with an injured ankle, foot, or what-not.

Next week is Catherine Furnace Run. It is a 50K. I think it will be challenging. It will heat training. It will be my first time running it. The course is similar to MMT, at a nearby trail (two hours drive for me), but near the MMT race. I should be familar with it. I hiked around there and got lost before.

Martha Moats Baker Race signup was this week. Originally I wanted to run it because the course was similar to Grindstone, and in the same vicinity. Then the Grindstone Organization (RD) sent out a call for trailwork/ volunteer session for the same day. I still need to fulfill my trail work (8 hrs) for the race, which means I had to turn down the Martha Moats Baker run. I am not happy, but have to do the volunteering service. I might take the Friday’s off to go there early to run on Friday, then Volunteer on Saturday, and then run again on Sunday.

August 12 will be a busy weekend. This year, Iron Mountain Training run falls on that weekend too. I will miss it. I will miss the July training run too since I will be in Ohio for my 100 miler. IMTR (Iron Mountain) is very important to me. Because I have other races lined up already, I cannot cancel them. The best part about IMTR is their training runs. I have been going to them the last 3-4 years. They are usually my summer defining runs.

My cousin said there are cheap flight to Saratoga, Fl, for only $75 and asked if I want to go to Clear Water Beach. He has been there last summer. They had cheap hotel near the airport. My mantra is I only travel if there is a race. So he asked me to Google for it if a race would match up. And there are races there! Tampa 100 is taken place in November (I think the first weekend). We ended up Google for youtube videos of the Tampa 100, however, ended up watching the Keys 100 race without realizing. He and I said maybe we will be the first one to do a documentary/video on the Tampa 100. However, on a more practical thinking, I don’t think I can fir another 100 mile race in my schedule, but I am open to it for next year.

There is also the Clear Water Marathon in January. However, flight sales are not yet available for January. I am thinking I will still go. This will help me finish Florida in my 50 states quest.

Relating to crossing Florida off, my plan initially was to do the Space Coast Marathon. However, the schedule falls on the thanksgiving weekend. As you know flights are expensive for that particular time. Clear Water Marathon would present a better alternative.

I signed up a couple races this week but I don’t remember what they were. One was on the spur pf the moment, while waiting for Catoctin 50k to start. I met with Caroline at the start of Catoctin and she said, she signed up. I was surprised the race registration has open, so I signed up on the spot. It is a winter race up in a remote town in Pennsylvania. You know, they get a lot of snow up there. I don’t know why I signed up. Last year after I ran it, I said, it was a once and done race for me. Now, I signed up.

That is all. My bandwith is still pretty low. There are just too many things going on in my private life. I will have a new housemate, so things been busy rearranging my schedule around to meet up and everything. This weekend will mostly spend cleaning and getting rid of things.