A Very Broad Update - Mark

I was thinking during my run yesterday that I would re-activate the blog.

I largely took 2013 off. Except for the following;
- In February of 2013 Luke and I ran the Moab Red Hot 55k. It was a fun time.
- In May Luke, Craig Hall and I ran the Grand Canyon R2R2R (I came up a few miles short as I was not feeling well. I did about 40 of the 44 miles that we should have done)
- In June I had my first official DNF at the Bighorn 50. I missed the cutoff at mile 35 by 6 minutes. Great race and I plan to redeem myself later this year.
- I paced at the Salt Flats 100, Wasatch and the Bear.

While pacing Craig Hall at the Wasatch I realized just how much I love this sport. I decided to give the Wasatch another go right then and there. On October 15th of 2013 I had foot surgery to repair a bunion. The surgery was a little more intense then planned and I left with two pins, 5 screws and a metal plate. The timeline for recovery still fit my Wasatch training plans so I decided to throw my name in the hat again.

Rehab went well and on almost every visit the doc and therapist told me that I was ahead of schedule. I started to "run" again on January 1st. I am taking it nice and easy but rebuilding a good base and feeling great about 2014.

On February 1st I dropped the family off at Park City Mountain Resort for a great day of skiing. I then traveled to Midway for the Wasatch 100 lottery. When I arrived my thoughts were that if I don't get into Wasatch that I would register for the Bear 100 the same day. That seemed like a good thought. With each name drawn I wanted the Wasatch more and more. The Bear became, as Luke puts it, like kissing your sister. About 2/3 of the way through the lottery I heard, "Mark Robbins from Cottonwood Heights, Utah". My heart raced and I realized that I was in again. Thoughts of excitement and feelings of nerves rushed through my body. Time to get to work.

I don't plan on doing many official races in 2014. My plans are to redeem myself at Bighorn in June and get my second Wasatch buckle in September. I will run the BoSho marathon, Granduer Peak fun run, maybe the Millcreek night run. I most likely will pace at the Buffalo, Salt Flats and the Bear. Should be a fun year!

My race strategy for 2014 is wide open except for two ideas that I have been thinking about. Strategy #1 is to run 15-25 lbs. lighter than my first Wasatch finish. Strategy #2 is to not set a goal time for finishing before the race but to get to Point Supreme (mile 76) and set a finish goal time there and push hard to the end.

I look forward to documenting my training and adventures on this blog. It is much more for me than anyone else. I see it as a journal of sorts. If you happen to read it I hope you enjoy. Thanks!