One hundred and sixty-one miles.
It has been years since I’ve had a month like that. I’m talking pre-Strava, DailyMile stat tracking days. But that was my January running effort: 161 miles.
Included in those numbers are three 40+-mile weeks, tapping out with a 46-mile week spanning the final days of 2022 and the start of 2023. I had five double-digit mileage days and multiple multi-run days that reminded my legs that they can take a beating and rally.
That’s what January was all about, really. Beating up the legs, gradually pushing stretching the distance and time on feet; classic base-building. I enter February with my strongest mileage base since 2017 when the European Alps and the CCC 101K were the goal.
This time the goal is different. I’m preparing to run 100 miles this year, either in July at Notchview if the waitlist moves in my favor, or at Ghost Train in October. Other races will come first – the TARCtic Frozen Yeti this weekend, the classic “Don’t Run Boston” 50K in April, and another race or two that are yet to be determined. I’m excited about all of them, but the most encouraging thing at the moment is that my base is solid. The foundation has been laid to not just dream big, but do big, too.
It was a big January, but I’m just getting started.
Chris Wristen 