2 people, 2 cars, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2916 miles and a new life

WTF? LOL – Jimbo reporting back after an absence of a few months.

And what a hectic, crazy, exhausting, stressful, and yet occasionally fun filled months they have been.

So it has been “So long North Carolina”, and “Hello Northern California.” (Did you know that an anagram of Northern California is Finer North Carolina – no, I didn’t either).

And Ironically I am writing this on a plane after heading back to NC for  work and to take care of some stuff with the house I still own there. Now that I live in my territory, I spend a lot less time on planes, which is probably one of the most significant reasons I have got behind with the blog (I can hear a collective “phew, what a relief”)

My last race in NC was Doug “The Boogieman” Dawkins’ creation, The Doomsday Marathon, celebrating the end of the world.  26.2 sandy, pitch black miles – many of which was with friends. One particular highlight was sharing a lap with Paul Heckert, one of the stubbornest (yeah, I know – made up word) and finest runners I know. He is also the only Astronomy Professor I know – and on a clear night with little light pollution, spending some time with someone who can point stuff out to me in the sky was special.

And after The Doomsday my interest in running disappeared. Well maybe disappeared is the wrong word – how about, my interest in running waned somewhat.  No, still not quite right – my interest in running was overcome by life events. Yeah, that is it.

Packing up and moving took up the next month. It took a lot out of me. There were of course one or two moments of joy – Boxing Day Madness and the Chicken Run (with associated New Year’s Day Polar Plunge by Trever and Heather. What kind of fool would go running into Jordan Lake in January? Oh, that’s right – ME. And Amy and Rebecca who came to Jordan Lake with me to celebrate my last run there.

Enjoy….

Seriously, what kind of crazy fools would jump into a lake in the middle of January?

A week later, the movers came by. A day late (because of weather), which meant I had to DNS Weymouth Woods 100k (although one wonders if that was some good luck – pretty sure I would have struggled at that distance). I did get a chance to visit with my friends there after the movers had been, and it was good to see so many people I know on my last night in NC.

By the time the journey began – I think we were so ready to get going, the movers had gone, we were packed, and it was time to embark upon a journey across the country. We left Sanford Sunday early afternoon. It was fun, a fairly easy journey (drive to I-40, turn left – keep gong to California, turn right), the pups had a blast, the cats (in Jess’ car) settled down fairly quickly. The stopping points were, Knoxville TN, Shawnee OK, Gallup NM and Bakersfield CA – we arrived home in Camino CA on Thursday lunchtime.

And that ended January – December and January were my two worst running months probably since I wasn’t a runner. 72.3 miles total. Time to shake things up in Feb.

Within a few days of arriving in CA, it was time to explore! I had a things on my schedule – Western States training run (the last 20 miles of the course), Way Too Cool 50km, and of course scope out some local trails for my training runs. Not only that, my friend Frankie had talked me into the FOURmidable 50k –which took on board probably the four most brutal climbs in the Auburn State Recreation Area. You know, when you get hills with the name “Cardiac” and “K2”, you are in for an awakening!

Way Too Cool 50K was cool but crowded – another race in the Auburn State Recreation Area, and the first race I have successfully entered through a lottery. More runnable than FOURmidable.

Knext up was Knickerbocker Canyon 30k. A fine race that took place in the Auburn State Recreation Area. Similar course to FOURmidable, with some tough climbing.

My 4th run at Umstead was an attempt at a Sub-11 hour 50. I did well and was on pace for 42 miles when the meltdown started. Ended up running just under 12:30. I wasn’t upset, it was good to hang out with my NC friends for again, and any time spent running with the Dooms is always enjoyable.

After some crewing and pacing duties at Sonoma 50 and the shortened Miwok, my next race was the inaugural Goldrush 100k. Having the start just 15-20 minutes from home was a definite plus. The weather forecast that day was a delicious 97^oF. But of course it was a dry heat….. WTF?? LOL!! OMFG! Yep, it was toasty. 40 miles into it, and in the heat of the afternoon, with the sun beating down on me, I missed the cut off at 43 miles. Ugh. Just to give an indication of the difficulty of the day, I was in good company – over 50% dropped or were pulled.

Official Stats

Entered: 233
Starters: 177
Finishers: 81 (61 Men, 20 Women)  
Volunteers: >135!
Ice: >2,500 lbs

So, there you have it! A brief update, and a promise that I will try and write more. Next on the cards for me are the Western States training runs, and then the TRT training runs, followed by my goal race – Tahoe Rim Trail 100. [EEeeek]