Ultra to cap off season
Hey team...I've always wanted to do an ultra trail run. I'm thinking of capping off the season with a 50k to dip my toe in the ultra waters. Then I'd probably do a 50 miler next season.
I'm scheduled to do the St George Marathon on Oct 3rd. I'm toying with the idea of doing a 50k in late October or earlier November. Basically, I'd be able to just ride my run fitness into the 50k after about 3 weeks of recovery from the marathon. The Bootlegger 50k in Boulder City, NV looks like a good beginner course, and the timing is perfect on Nov 7th.
The last two years, I've done a challenge for my birthday in November. For turning 40, it was my first half ironman and first century ride. For 41 last year, it was my first Ironman at IMAZ. A 50k would be a tempting first since I've already done a bunch of marathons (non-competitively).
I have access to world-class trail running from my front door. I'm thinking I would incorporate some weekly trail running into my marathon training. I'll definitely need the extra strength for the fast descents at St George. Then I just ride it into Bootlegger a month later.
The big drawback would be losing a month of outseason. This season has been focused on improving my run. I was thinking of focusing on improving my bike next season by getting my FTP up from 240W to 260-270W. I'd be giving up valuable FTP improving time before St George 70.3 in May.
Convince me why I should do Bootlegger 50k (or another race) as a birthday challenge. 