Here it is the middle of February and I’m just writing my 2015 objectives and plan. It’s been in my head, but, like I always say, a plan that is not written down is a plan that will fall to pieces. So I’ll start with the objectives and then plan how to get there.
Running distance for the year: 2500 km which works out to 208.33 km per month
Biking distance for the year: 500 km, this is cross-training in the summer when it’s warm. I don’t like to ride when it’s cold.
Foot races:
- 1 March: 3 Pigons at Fontainebleau, France 21 km trail run
- 8 March: Paris half marathon, with an objective to set a PR of 1:34
- 21 March: Ecotrail Paris, 50 km
- 12 April: Josas Trail, France 50 km
- 3 May: Oise Trail at Compiegne, France 60 km
- 17 May: Cerf Trail, Yvelines, France 50 km
- 13 June: Laurel Highlands Ultra, PA, 70.5 mile (113.5 km)
- 13 September: Infernal Trail, Vosges, France 72 km
- 4 October: Poigny la forêt trail, Yvelines, France 35 km
- 14 November: Trail Flambeaux, Yvelines, France 18 km
In that list there is the one road road, the Paris half, while all the others are trail runs.
The year has begun well with 203 km run in January, a month when just getting out on a run is a good achievement given the less than ideal weather. February has started well also with 108 km covered by mid-month. One of those runs was 35 km, which is a good distance for early in the year. Yesterday morning I had a minor setback, however; when I turned my left ankle by stepping into well-concealed sidewalk pothole. It was still dark and a car was passing, causing a moment of inattention. I will have to give it a few days rest.
My first race of the year will be the 3 Pignons, tn the Fontainebleau forest. There are a few small hills and lots of rocky terrain so you will have to be extra careful and keep maximum concentration on the trail directly ahead. This race will be a “warm-up” with no fixed objective except to go out and enjoy a run through the forest.
The following weekend, the 8th of March is the Paris Half Marathon. I’ll be running with 40,000 of my close friends, so that is definitely less than ideal. My PR of 1:35 was set at a Paris half back in 1997. That is a pace of 4:31 per km and will be difficult to beat. Although I’m in good shape and have a good base of km for preparation, more intense preparation needs to be done to approach that time. In the next three weeks leading up to the race I plan to do some intense interval workouts designed to increase speed. Also, to have a chance at a PR, the weather will need to cooperate and I need to get myself as far forward as possible at the mass start so as to be able to run freely throughout the race.
Two weeks later is the Ecotrail de Paris. It’s a week earlier than last year when I did the 80 km. Because of the earlier start, I decided to do the 50k this year. This will be my first long race of the year. It starts in the park at Versailles and winds it way through forests into Paris and finishes at the Eiffel Tower. The last 10 km are flat along the river so it is a relatively easy 50k. I think I can complete it in 5:30. Here is the elevation profile for the race:
Ecotrail de Paris 50k elevation profile
The next scheduled race is the Jouy-en-Josas 50 km trail which is just south of Paris. It will count for the Nature Trail Challenge which consists of 5 races in the Yvelines department. The challenge is to finish 4 out of the 5 races and accumulate points according to your finishing position in your age category; 200 points for 1st place, 199 for 2nd, and so on. I missed the first race in late January, so I will try to do the remaining 4: the 50 km Cerfs on 17 May, the 35 km at Poigny in October, and the 17 km Flambeaux night race in November. Elevation profile for Jouy-en-Josas:
Jouy-en-Josas Trail elevation profile
On 3 May I will be seriously tested at the 60 km race in the Compiègne forest. Last year I did the 35 km and enjoyed it. The 60 km course has 1,400 meters of positive elevation gain and is constantly going up and down hill. A finish in under 7 hours would be an excellent time. Elevation profile here:
Trail Oise at Compiègne
The 50 km Cerfs in mid-May will be another challenging run with lots of hills and 825 m of positive elevation gain. Elevation profile here:
Trail du Cerfs elevation profile
The four 50+ km races from late March to mid-May lead up to the first major race objective of the year, the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania. Last year I successfully completed the 70.5 miles (3,200 m positive elevation gain) in under 19 hours. It was an exhilarating experience with lots of ups and downs; geographical, physical and mental. Aside from finishing the race again, my objective is to go under 18 hours which used to be the time limit for a successful finish. Here is the elevation profile:
Laurel Highlands Ultra elevation profile
July and August are empty right now as far as races go. I’m looking for a race in the beginning of July and another for late August.
The other major race objective for the year is the 72 km Infernal Trail (2450m positive elevation gain) in the Vosges Mountains on 13 September. Two years ago I ran 2 sections of this race and I confirm that the trace is quite gnarly. The race starts at 3 AM so the first 30 km are very dark. Here is the course profile:
Infernal Trail elevation profile
As far as races are concerned, I will complete the year with the two final races in the Nature Challenge, the Poigny 35 km in October and the 17 km Flambeaux night race in November.
So there you have it. That is a full schedule and barring injury, it all seems do-able. I will post a race reports as I go along.