Planning Trips

Nancy and I had a long talk about Western States last night. We discussed the pros and cons, logistics and options, and the end result was I decided not to put my name in the lottery this year. It was an exciting thought for a while, and I'm a little disappointed, but it was the right decision. It was completely my choice and Nancy would have supported me either way, but if I'd gone it would have been a solo trip, and I would much rather go on vacation with her and the boys. And that's what it finally came down to - while running is important to me it will never ever compare to being a husband and a dad. Not even close.

The other deciding factor was that although Western States is pretty cool, there are many other 100 mile races out there that are ahead of it on my list, such as Headlands and Massanutten.

So instead we decided to get on Marathon Guide and plan a trip that coincides with an out-of-state marathon. Marathons are easy to incorporate into vacations - not really that taxing, you just run 'em in the morning, get back to the hotel for a quick shower and change, then get on with the vacation. We are still pondering possibilities, but the two that we liked were the Post Oak Lodge 50k and marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma (the little devil inside me says run them both) and the Little Rock marathon in Arkansas. Anyone have any other suggestions? (note that we want somewhere we could drive to, because flying with a small baby is no fun at all).

The Arkansas trip may be the favorite because Nancy has been wanting to visit the Ozarks for some time, though since they're only a week apart I guess we could always do both - drive up to Oklahoma, motor over to Arkansas and spend the week playing in the mountains, then come down to Little Rock before making a big loop back to Texas.

Of course, half the fun of these trips is planning them. And if we do this, that would leave room for another little vacation over the summer before Gavin starts school.


On another note, mad props to my friend Ryan Valdez, race director of the El Scorcho 25/50k and one of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. He completed his first 100 miler this weekend at the Heartlands 100 in Kansas.

Welcome to the 100 mile club buddy - I raised a beer to you last night.