2015 is set to be pretty exciting – and exhausting.

I’ve never been one to try to get faster.  Pushing myself for speed has just never appealed to me.  There’s nothing wrong with it, and I have tons of respect for people who do it.  I’ve just always been drawn to go farther, or longer.  It seems to be one or the other for most of us runners.

Over the last several years, I’ve found myself always trying to reach for that next big distance, continuing to test my limits.  First it was a marathon.  Then after a few years of those, I realized they didn’t scare me anymore.  So I signed up for an Ironman.  After three of those, the terror has worn off, and I was looking for another thing to be afraid of.

Enter: Ultra running.

Considering I live in Colorado, I guess it’s one of those “when in Rome…” situations.  I find myself surrounded by friends who are all crazy endurance athletes (myself included), and we’re really great at enabling each other.  This is the one place where a typical conversation goes like this:

• Me:  Soooo… I did something crazy last night.
• Friend:  What?
• Me: I signed up for the Run Rabbit 100.
• Friend: Awesome!  I’m doing <insert other insane race here>!

Or this:

• Me: Hey!  Come do this run with us!
• Friend: Where?
• Me: We’re running 31 miles – from Ned to Boulder.  All dirt roads and trails.
• Friend: Fantastic!  I’m in!

Back in upstate NY, the conversations are usually more like this:

• Me: So I signed up for another Ironman.
• Friend: Are you drunk?

Ahhhh… Colorado.  I love you.

I’m excited to test my limits, and get out on lots of trails.  Now that I’ve been “running” those (I use the term “running” loosely here.  It’s really more like power hiking up the mountain and then running down.), the thought of getting back on the roads isn’t very appealing.  There are so many spectacular places to explore here.  I want to get to them all!

So 2015 looks like this so far:

• January 31, 2015 – Fatass Frozen Dead Guy 50k (Boulder, CO) – not an official race
• February 21, 2015 – Fatass Headless Horsetooth 50k (Fort Collins, CO) – not an official race
• May 9, 2015 – Quad Rock 50 miler (Fort Collins, CO)
• August 2, 2015 – Ironman Boulder (Boulder, CO)
• September 18th and 19th – Run Rabbit Run 100 miler (Steamboat Springs, CO)

I’m really excited to tackle these events.  Sure, I may crash and burn here and there.  Others may be spectacular successes.  There’s only one way to find out!