Celebrating The End of My 30's with 3 Races in One Week

It's t-minus two weeks until my 40th birthday, but I'm exiting my 30's with three great races in one week. Saturday is the Ruth Anderson 50k in San Francisco, CA, Monday is the Boston Marathon, and the following Sunday is the Big Sur Marathon. Then a few days to recover, and it's time to toe the line as a Master at the Miwok 100k. Is this the ultrarunner version of a midlife crisis?

Nah. It's just my inability to say no to a good time. I keep waiting for this so-called midlife crisis to come (although it apparently only affects 15% of adults), but have yet to desire a Corvette, new 20-year-old girlfriend, or a gold chain to dangle from an open shirt. My life is too splendidly chaotic and adventurous to worry if it's on the right track or drown in a monsoon of mortality. I think ultrarunning really helps avoid this mess. Perhaps this is why I always meet so many happy ultrarunners in their 40's and 50's...they are all too busy having fun to make room for a midlife crisis. Although there are a few Corvettes in the parking lot. ;-)

I'm just giddy thinking about the races on the horizon. Is it just me, or do you feel younger the moment you sign up for a race too? When I fill a schedule for the year, I swear it takes me back to being a kid with three awesome summer camps on the agenda. Just look at what I have stacked up:

Ruth Anderson 50k - A great 4.5 mile loop course that lets you spend the day with fast and slow runners alike, tackling distances from 50k to 100k that you can choose as you go. Rajeev Patel, Stan Jensen, and the other volunteers put on a great race, and its small communal nature captures all that is good with the ultra family. I clocked my 50k PR of 3:52 here a few years ago on a perfect sunny day, but last year was a storm and a half. Who knows what Saturday will bring, but I'll have plenty of company to smile through it. I just hope I have the sense to stop at 50k!

Boston Marathon - This is my fifth Boston, and it gets better every time. I'll be running with my Dad, who qualified at the Eugene Marathon last year and will be doing his first Boston at age 67. It took some convincing to get him signed up, but he's trained, stoked, and ready to roll now. We'll have to see who is slowest - me two days after an ultra, or him at age 67. I get the feeling my ass is going to be handed to me at the finish. Shout out to Jean Pommier who is doing the Ruth/Boston double too...see you on the red eye flight!

Big Sur Marathon - Christi (my wife) put together an awesome weekend of relaxation and fun in Carmel/Big Sur for my b-day, culminating with the gorgeous Big Sur Marathon along Hwy 1. You can't possibly get enough pictures of this course, but I'm going to do my best to fill the camera. Then plenty of rest and relaxation on the beach (aaaahhh).

Miwok 100k - My longest race of the year before States, Miwok is a great way to enter the Masters ranks. Challenging, hilly, stacked competition, and breathtaking at every turn. One would think that I stood a better chance at placing in my age group, but the Lantz and Pommier's of the world just keep getting faster. So no excuse for me...I should get faster too!

Throw in a ton of beer, some good friends and family, an endless amount of "old man" jokes, and it should be a whirlwind of fun. Hope to see y'all out there!

- SD