[Day591] Races in 2024

Happy Thanksgiving! Black Friday sales for races.

My race schedule has gotten maybe a bit simpler and a bit complicated.

A few months ago I went on a soul search as I do every year of what races and goals I should try to reach for, so that by the time races open for next year I would jump on for cheaper signups.

Some (many) races have Black Friday sales.

Around this time previous year, I would start signing up for races. See my previous plans from last two years, 2021 and 2022. This year I felt my schedule has gotten out of hand because I keep on adding more and more races.

I become demotivating for me to plan for next year. For the last two months I kept asking myself what races do I want to sign up. I knew in my heart I want to do all of them. But I would have to pick and choose due to constraints. In the end, I did not sign up that many races.

So here are my goal for next year: I am running some of same races as this year. Massanutten is a repeat. Burning River 100 is another repeat. I want to do Catoctin 50k or maybe Iron Stone. Grindstone 100 also a redo. Iron Mountain 50, I would like to finish it for real. These were pretty much the goal for this year.

My most hyped race will be running a marathon in Taiwan (Wanjinshi) in March.

Some other lofty goal is maybe will sign up for C&O Canal 100. I might do some of Midwest 100 races (Indiana 100, Hallucination 100, Mohican 100, or Kettle Moraine).

Yeti 100 too is on my target.

As for marathons, I only have one Clear Water Marathon in Fl and Providence in Rhode Island. I have not thought much about my 50 states. I might do Fargo too. They kept on sending me Black Friday promotions. I think it was their 20th year.

Tbh, I have lost interest in the 50 states goal. I am willing to run any marathon. Eventually, I know I will reach my 50 states. Like every year, I think I start focusing on my 50 states toward the end of the year when I don’t have anything else to do. At least that was the pattern the last two years. States I wanted to run did not happen but states I did not plan to run were done (e.g. New Jersey, Idaho, and Connecticut).

Below schedule is still much in flux. The live version is up on the site. As in the past, it will be constantly modified through out the year. I like a static version here, so I could look back and see how my goals changed.

I penciled in those races I wanted to do a few months ago. I think it is a good outline of what to come.

Unlike last year, I think it is fine not having every race written down yet before the start of a new year. I am at peace with it. Sometimes I just have to be patient that I can’t run in every race out there.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

====

Jan 5 (considering) La Cruces Marathon, NM

Jan 27 (reg’d) Clear Water (Tampa) Marathon.

Feb 17? Austin Marathon / Baton Rouge?

Feb 17, Red Dirt 100? Forgotten Florida 100?

Mar 17. (registered) New Taipei City Wanjinshi Marathon.

March 17 – 27: possibly away for Sydney Trip, Six Foot Track 50K (not met qualification 4:20 marathon time), March 10.

March 23, (not to sign up) Blackbeard’s Revenge 100K. /Aussie Trip

Apr 20. (reg’d) Roanoke Double Marathon 1:00 Am – 2 pm.

Apr 28? (goal) C&O 100

May 5 (reg’d) Providence Marathon, RI, need flight. 434 mi, 8 hrs driving. recommended by sherunsbytheseashore. Or fly!

May 4, (considering, but probably won’t do) Atlanta Greater Southern Endurance 100K.

May 18 (reg’d) MMT 100. open on Oct 31.

June 22, 2024, (considering) New York City running Exposition (100 mile)

July 8-9 (likely) Catoctin 50K. or Iron Stone 100.

July 28 (reg’d) Burning River 100

Sep 20-22 (reg’d) UTMB, Grindstone 100

Nov. (considering) Tampa 100.