5 Races in 5 Weekends

Tomorrow, November 1st, I will race the Dam Site Half-Marathon. It'll be my 5th race in 5 weekends. Here are how the first 4 races have worked out for me:

• Allerton Trail Ultra (October 3): DNF at 13 miles. I knew I couldn't finish 28+ miles on the trails. I was happy to complete 13 miles and not be injured. They were slow trail miles, so not sure they prepared me for the road half-marathon tomorrow. We shall see!
• Morrissey Parkrun 5K (October 10): Finished in 23:45. Not great, but not bad. It was a good effort. Again, not sure how this will impact my half-marathon tomorrow. I do have some speed. Mostly worried about endurance. Supposedly that 5K finish predicts a 1:49 HM finish. I would be extremely happy with that time. We'll see about that! 
• Paws for a Cause 5K (October 18): Finished in 22:50. Better 5k race than previous weekend. Felt hard, but good. That race predicts a 1:45 HM finish. I wish! 
• Allerton 5.7M Trail Race (October 25): Finished in 49:27. Solid, but not great. Felt like a hard tempo run. Weather was perfect and I was hoping for a little faster finish. But I did not get injured or trip on any tree roots. Success. Preparation  for the half-marathon? Probably not, but it was a good tempo effort and the trails didn't beat me up too much. 

So how will I do at the Dam Site half-marathon tomorrow? My main goal is breaking 1:55 (shooting for 1:54). This would qualify me for the "Last Chance to BQ2 marathon race in April. The weather looks good (56-60F, cloudy, slight wind). According to my Stryd pod, I can run a 1:47 HM. That falls between the two above 5K-based predictions. My time goal of 1:54 should be doable. Even easy. Maybe. I'm not confident since I have not raced a HM on roads this year. I ran 1:50 two years ago at this race with colder weather (47F). And I was in better shape. I suppose 1:54 is a very reasonable goal. I'll set my watch to have a virtual racer at that pace (8:40/mile). 

Good luck to all the NYC Marathon runners tomorrow. I have my local HM, but I'll be rooting on those NYC racers! 

Running Goal Check-In (9/12 months)

It's the end of September so not a bad time to check-in on my running goals for the year. Nine months done. Only three months to go. Am I on track? I should be 75% done with them. Here is the blog post with those original targets "Running Goals for 2026." 

• 25 all-time completed Parkruns. ✅Done already! Have finished 29 so far. Hope to complete a few more this year. 
• Run one ultramarathon. ❌Nope. I have DNS and DNF. None completed. Have one this weekend, but doubt I'll finish the full 28 miles. Still have the Winter Solstice ultra. Maybe?
• Run 1,200 miles. ❌To be on track, I should have 840 miles as of now. Only have 649 miles. Yikes. Not great. I'll have to really ramp things up in the next 3 months. Probably not going to happen. 
• Break 22:00 for a 5K. ✅Yes, I ran 21:53 at the Kirby Derby 5k race! Would still like to break 22:00 at a Parkrun 5K. With cooler weather, it might be possible!
• Join local running club and run one of their races. ✅Yep, joined Second Wind and Kennekuk and did the Howl at the moon ultra. Signed up for Allerton trail race too. Two clubs and 2 club races. Overachiever! 
• Go to the gym 50 times. ✅I have 40 visits to the gym right now and this is the 40th week of the year. On track! Think I can easily exceed 50 trips to the gym. 

I have completed 3 of my 6 goals already, and on track for a fourth goal. The other two look unlikely. If I can crush 4/6 goals, I'd be happy for this year. Can I get 5? Or all 6? 

My Ultramarathon Plans for 2026: Progress So Far

I had high hopes for my ultra running this year. I hadn't run an ultramarathon in 2 years so it seemed like a good time to commit to SOME ultra this year! I had a few opportunities:

• January: Riddle Run 28 miler = DNF at 14 miles
• July: Backyard Ultra ("Last Man Standing") = DNS
• August: Howl at the Moon 8-hour = DNF at 20 miles (4.5 hours)
• September: Limestone Rocks 8-hour = ??? (probably skip)
• October: Allerton Trail Ultra (29 miler) = hopeful to finish
• November: no ultra, but registered for a half-marathon = can do 13.1 miles!
• December: Clinton Lake Winter Solstice 30 miler = will do if weather cooperates

Not a good record so far. Two DNFs (did not finish) and one DNS (did not start). I am not going to be ready for Limestone Rocks 8-hour so that is likely a pass (not registered yet, so not a DNS or DNF). October will bring cooler weather and more time to train--think Allerton Ultra is possible. And the Clinton Lake Winter Solstice ultra in December sounds great if the weather is not nasty snow and ice. 

I have currently completed 113 lifetime ultra/marathons. I'd like to tick that up to 114 or 115 by the end of the year. If not in 2026, then 2027 will be my year of the ultra! Hope springs eternal.