Day 4,289—Tomorrow is the Shippey 100!—

 

        This race has crept up on me. At first, it seemed so far away. After I completed the Ozark Trail 100, I was eager to run another 100-mile race, which I had initially planned for December. However, I ultimately decided to complete a 42-mile birthday trail run instead. But now, race day is finally almost here. This is my new Go St. Louis because it is my local 100 that will rarely conflict with any other races I want to do.

        The one in Hawaii is in January, so whenever I am able to do that one, there will be a conflict, but that’s not going to happen soon, so until further notice, this will be the race I can do every year. This will be my 4th time. I noticed I am on par with the other two runners who have completed it twice before. I know Eric has done it more than that, but maybe the course was different then, but I love the consistency and the routine. I mainly like to do new races every year, but there are some I want to keep coming back to, almost regardless of the circumstances. Currently, I have completed the following events routinely: the Go St. Louis Marathon (15 times), the Berryman 50 (4 times), Get Your Butt Kicked @ Route 66 (6 hours, 4 times), and the Kirkwood Turkey Trot (9 miles, at least 15 times).

        I like that range of distances too. I am not doing the same distances for my regular races, but I have a variety of distances that I do every year. The shorter races, I am still doing because they’re fun and close to my house, but I am not looking for any other shorter races to run. I don’t do a regular half-marathon, but maybe someday in the future I will consider adding something like that to my routine. Most of the other popular races I don’t do because they’re around the same times as other races I want to do.

Wish me luck on the Shippey tomorrow! The weather looks better this year, but still, it looks like it is going to be cold and windy, so I am going to prepare for the worst. My hip and leg were feeling better yesterday but when I got home I was reminded with the usual pain but I still feel strong, so I think I am going to be okay.