Run for the Hills

I've enjoyed another week of solid preparation for my two target races later this summer: the August 18 Pikes Peak Ascent and the September 15 North Face Endurance Challenge.  Tomorrow, I'll do a local trail race, the Run for the Hills 5K.  It's just for fun but it'll give me some idea of whether I've made any progress on the speed front.  Not that speed is my goal for the remainder of the summer.  Both of my target races will depend on endurance, not speed.   They are, for me, tests of finishing within the time limits.  So, I'm not doing speed work this summer.  On the other hand, I expect that my hill work and long runs would also benefit pace. 

If you're a runner or a fan of the sport, your eyes this weekend (June 22-24) are probably on two cities with ambitious titles:  Eugene, Ore., which bills itself Track Town USA, and Auburn, Calif., which boldly proclaims itself The Endurance Capital of the World.

The U.S. Track & Field Trials at Eugene begin today and continue through next week (see here for a complete schedule of television coverage: http://running.competitor.com/2012/06/news/2012-u-s-olympic-trials-track-field-tv-schedule_54150), and one of the oldest and most iconic endurance races kicks off early Saturday morning from Squaw Valley, Calif.  It ends 30 hours and 100 miles later at Auburn, Calif.  It's the Western States 100 of course.  For an intro to the race see here: http://www.ws100.com/

This year's Western States, the 39th, promises to be incredibly competitive with many of the world's top ultra runners in attendance.  (Unfortunately, favorite Kilian Jornet is a late scratch.)  For a look at the men's race, see here:  http://www.irunfar.com/2012/06/2012-western-states-100-mens-preview.html

Women's favorite Ellie Greenwood also leads an all-star lineup on the distaff side.  Check here for a preview:  http://www.irunfar.com/2012/06/2012-western-states-100-womens-preview.html

For an exciting and inspiring look at the 2010 race--a duel among four of the ultra world's elite: Jornet, Tony Krupicka, Geoff Roes, and Hal Koerner--check out the documentary film "Unbreakable."  For more on the film, check out their website here:  http://www.ws100film.com/