Sunday 4 September 2016

Not a bucket list

The more races I do, the more I find out about new races and challenged that I want to do. I have included some that I have finished for completeness and plan to updated.

This is a work in progress and I will add a bit more detail why each of them has made the list and also hopefully update as I cross a few off.

My categorisation is obviously subjective and based on my perception - you are welcome to disagree but it is my list after all. I have included some distance based goals which I have put in the buckets

Fun runs (finishing shouldn't be an issue - finishing fast is another matter)

London Marathon
Rhayader 20 mile - round the dams
Comrades marathon, South Africa - the world's greatest ultra
NDW50
Man vs Horse, Llanwrtd Wells
Escape for Meriden
Ironman 70.3
Sub 20 minute 5k

Challenging (should get round but not easily)
A sub 24 100 mile finish
Centurion SDW100
Centurion NDW100
An Ironman triathlon*
Self Transcendence - 24 hours of Tooting - 100+ mile total
London to Brighton Trail run
Vanguard Way oner - self supported. I have done the Croydon to Woldingham bit a few times and also the Vanguard Way marathon. However that is just the first 15 miles out of 67 and it finishes by the sea in Newhaven.
Sub 90 half marathon - unofficially done in training but would like to knock it off
Sub 40 - p.b. is 40:34
Good for age London Marathon (currently GFA is 3:05 and my unofficial pb is 3:37)
LDWA 100 mile challenge walk

Challenging + (50/50 to finish)
Centurion Grandslam
SDW unsupported
NDW unsupported - Farnham to Dover then loop back round to the junction via Canterbury
Lakeland 100
UTMB
Western States 100
UTMF (100 mile-ish ultra around Mount Fuji in Japan)
10km open water swim
GUCR
Leadville 100
Ultra Tour Monte Rosa
Thames Ring 250
T184 (or doing it self supported)
A sub 3 hour marathon
A sub 10 hour 100km
A sub 20 hour 100 mile finish
2,000 miles in a year

Long shots (finishing would be a major achievement and unexpected)
Automatic qualification for Sparathlon (currently a sub 8 hours 100km, 16:45 100 miler)
Sparathlon
Hardrock
Ronda Dels Cims 170km / 13,500m D+
Lon Las Ultra
Badwater 135
Diagonale Des Fous 167km / 9,700m D+
Bob Graham Round
The Hill
Tour Des Geants

Batsh!t crazy (you never know how life turns out)
Race across America
JOGLE (or LEJOG)
Vol State 500km
Appalachian Trail - through hike
Monarch Way

Not on the list
Marathon des Sables - the 1990s version would have been pretty cool but the hype machine of "toughest race in the world" with a 90%+ finish (yet no qualification requirements) doesn't appeal. Also I could do a lot of races with £3k+. I'm glad it does exist though as it means the rich business men going through mid-life crises will continue to go for this rather than events I want to do.  I should also add that to race it hard and  finish top 50 would be bloody tough and I have huge respect for Elizabet Barnes, Danny Kendall, James Cracknell etc.
Sri Chimnoy - Self transcendence 3,100 miles - 5,649 laps of a Queen's NY block. Not sure I need to explain why this didn't make the cut. I'm glad it exists though.
Chained Ultra - what is wrong with you people?

Saturday 3 September 2016

Choose Tailwind

Choose ultras. 
Choose a race. 
Choose a training plan. 
Choose a backpack. 
Choose a fucking big GPS watch and a foam roller. 
Choose good health, low cholesterol, and a vegan diet. 
Choose your friends. 
Choose post-race clothes and matching luggage. 
Choose parkrun and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. 
Choose not sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. 
Choose rotting you stomach away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable portaloo, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. 
Choose your future. 
Choose ultras... But why would I want to do a thing like that? 
I chose not to choose ultras. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got tailwind?