Run for the Toad

Well, the year is not quite over and I have already identified my next four races: ING Ottawa Half-Marathon (May, 2008), Run for the Toad 50K trail race (Oct 4, 2008) and the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge (Jan, 2009), a race in San Francisco (2009). The Toad and the Goofy are exceptionally challenging and will be my ultimate running achievement.

I signed up for the Run for the Toad tonight (Registration for the 2009 WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend opens January 14, 2008). The Toad is situated in the heart of Tent City in Cambridge, Ontario. I have only run a 5K and 10K trail race. It would have been logical to move up to the 25K distance, but I thought a longer distance would be more satisfying given that I plan to train for the Disney Goofy run within the same timeframe. I suspect it is realistic to train for both of these events consecutively, especially since not all training is necessary to do on trail when preparing for the Toad. The course offers very few flat sections, and at the same time very few extended climbs. The course is very rolling and the longest climb shouldn’t take you much longer than 90 seconds. The exciting part of the course is what didn’t seem like a hill on loop one or two become mountains on loop 3 and 4! About 60% of the course is shaded and there are some exposed sections in the grassy meadows. Weather has come in all forms at the Run for the Toad from snow and hail to gorgeous 70F sun.

My next task is to determine when training for each event starts, and to ensure that I am physically fit to engage in the intensive training required to tackle these races. I am quite excited about the whole thing. I am fortunate to now work in an environment filled with running enthusiasts; even my manager is a competitive marathoner. I will not lack the opportunity to pair up with runners for a lunch-time adrenaline rush in the spring. I plan on using winter training for Ottawa's half-marathon as my base for the Toad ultra-marathon (which is my real focus in 2008). The Toad would have prepared me for the Goofy, so the timing could not be better.