The Road to Calico

I want to run Calico Trail Run again. I love this race, and I miss it. It's been a few years -- 2015 was the last year I ran Calico 30k. I had come a long way. It destroyed me the first time I ran it in 2007. Going in, I felt fairly confident with the distance. It was the terrain that caught me off guard. Oh the troubles I encountered that first year! This race taught me the meaning of technical terrain. I crossed the finish line with bloody arms and legs having wiped out on the rocks in a bluish-pink canyon. At home, my husband used tweezers to dig out the pebbles embedded in my arm from my fall. I was wiped out for days. Calico 30k basically chewed me up and spit me out. I never realized how much I would love something like that. I was smitten.   

IF I can do it, Calico 2020 will be my 8th year. It is going to be a tough road to Calico. I'm not starting from scratch, but I'm definitely far away both mentally and physically to run this race well. The time to beat, well, that would be my best time which is 4:30 (from 2012, the only year I placed in my age group).

MY TRAINING PLAN is twofold. In the midst of teaching at two schools and directing a race in December, it has to be twofold, otherwise, there's a slim chance I'll be able to run Calico come January 2020.

FIRST PRONG of my attack (but not necessarily most the important): I need to get in good physical shape. I have a long way to go in building strength and endurance. I'll accomplish this by running, hiking, calisthenics, and some weights. I may even get back to the gym. 

SECOND PRONG, which is crucial to my success: I need to get in good mental shape. This entails proper sleep, proper food and completely cutting out all sugar. Fasting will be a huge part of this prong. I have been using it frequently, since I decided to run Calico again a few weeks ago.

I've further divided my plan into 3 phases, each lasting a little over a month. 

Phase 1: Getting Started 

Phase 2: Building

Phase 3: Maintaining

Currently, I am about 2 weeks into Phase 1. I have been running short distances on the road, as well as, hiking trails. I started slowly with calisthenics (planks only). And right now, I'm using The Big Loop at Aliso which is about 12 miles with 1,565' of elevation gain as my way to measure progress. (Love that loop!). I'm hiking all of it, but with a goal to increase my speed, I will add some running soon. About a week ago (10/27) I hiked The Big Loop in 4:37. This was an enjoyable hike; I didn't kill myself doing it. I'm in the "Getting Started" phase which is extremely important to my success. It's all about getting into a routine and doing it nice and easy with mental clarity so that I don't injure myself. Two prong attack, I believe that is key.

The Big Loop