2019 summer plans

Soon, another summer will be here... the short, dim days and long, dark nights of winter are almost over. I made it through another one. Almost. Only two more winters to go.  I said a while back that we are moving to Hawaii, and I thought it would happen this summer.  However, my youngest is still in high school and is really thriving right now, so we have decided to put the move on hold until he graduates in 2021. So the pace has slowed down on moving prep, but its still in the works.

Once that decision was made, it made figuring out this summer a whole lot easier. I had no idea which races I should sign up for because who knew when the move would happen. But now? I can run ALL THE RACES.  But reality set in once again, and I can only actually run SOME OF THE RACES.  I picked:

• April 6: Valley Thaw Out 13.1 - just a little fun jaunt on local gravel roads. which I will use as a training run. This race is new this year, so it will be fun to check it out.
• April 13: KrrrBrr: however many loops most closely resemble my long run for that weekend... another fun one that was new last year and super informal. But I hear there are shirts this year!
• May 31-June 1: Alaska Endurance Trail Run, 24 hour timed run. I've run this twice before and it should be AWESOME. And bonus, my friend Michele is now running it with me. Last year I did 53 miles in 24 hours. I know I can beat that if I run smart. 
• Also in June on the 22nd, Kesugi Ridge full traverse (about 30 miles). This one will be challenging. I ran it two years ago, and missed the cut off at the halfway point.
• July 13: Angel Creek 50 miler. This one is my "A" race this year. I got lost in the fog during this race, and wound up scratching around mile 31-ish. I'm determined to finish it this year.
• August 4: Archangel 26.2. I did the opposite 26.2, Hatcher Pass Marathon, in 2017, and it was a lot of fun. That race was 25 miles uphill, then 1 mile down. This race runs the same course in the opposite direction, 1 mile uphill, then 25 miles down. Should be a blast.
• August 10: Resurrection Pass 50 miler: Another one I completed in 2017 in the absolute pouring rain, my first 50 mile finish. Hoping for better weather (and a better time) this year. 
• August 31 (?): A Day at the Beach 12 hour 

My "A" race, Angel Creek 50 miler, is only 124 days away, so I need to get cracking on the training. I have an ultrarunning coach and a solid training plan so I'm feeling optimistic. 

I put in 4 miles today, which were supposed to be at a steady pace. However, I'm in Homer, and I ran on the spit, in the wind, which was gusting to 30mph. That made for some extra resistance, and very uneven paces. That little 4 mile run was hard work!