 So, open out. Mother Goose, open out. It's kind of chilly. It's between chilly and warm. Best Christmas present ever. Walkie-talkies, uh-oh, watch out. We could probably use it from our house to the park. That's amazing. That's amazing. Dry, dry winter thus far in Colorado. We have had zero snow in over a month. So anyway, I gotta water some plants. Supposedly it might snow tonight, but we'll just have to see. Alright, racing coming up. Racing topic coming right up. Gotta get these plants watered. Come on. You guys are the best. Alright, guess what? I am making a vlog about racing in 2019. And I'm looking to collect my racing medals from 2018. Where are they? Do you guys know where they're at? I just need to see them. The boys are the safe keepers of my medals. And I believe they're hanging somewhere here. Thank you, Joseph. Thank you, buddy. I appreciate that. Alright, we've got lots of medals. Alright, we're gonna talk about this. Review 2018 and talk about 2019. What's that? No, I gotta take these out here. Sometimes things get a little crazy inside the house in the shed. You know, you just, you know, we don't have a huge house. And so my racing bibs are kind of in my medals are kind of strewn all over the place. So I'm slowly getting organized. It just takes time to make a daily video and then also balance that with keeping everything else in life organized. So my racing bibs, you know, I like to keep them actually even more so than my finisher medals because on the racing bibs on the back, and this is if there's a lot of new subscribers since I gave this tip of the day last time, I love to write on the back of my racing bibs the distance that I raced, the time that I ran, the location and the date. It's invaluable information for down the road when you're looking back and reflecting on your racing career and your racing schedule. So here's my numbers. I'm pulling them back out of the elements. Oh my goodness. We got it. So here we go. Bringing them in the shade. Incredible, ladies and gentlemen. Here they are. All of my bib numbers from 2018. I just counted them up. We have 12. 12 bib numbers. So I raced 12 times. I just double checked on Strava as well just to make sure I wasn't missing any of the bib numbers and it's been an amazing journey. Lake Sonoma, the dirty 30, which I'm going to talk about that race in a second. The GoPro games against Joe Gray. Oh Joe, Joe's giving me a, he put me in second place three times this year. Crazy, crazy. Let's see, what else? Oh, the victory, the victory this year. Speed Goat. Let's see, what else? The back country. And yes, of course, a 5K. In fact, I ran a couple 5Ks. So bottom line, it's been an incredible year of racing in 2018. Now I cannot go back through all 12 races, but I will look at four of the races with you. You've already seen footage from this 50K race. It's called the dirty 30, 50K here in Colorado. There's about 6,000 feet of climbing, I believe, vertical gain. So it's a serious race. On, you know, tough trails at times, it was a great race. I was in second place for the second half of the race and then two guys caught me the last mile and a half. But then this happened the last 100 meters. We have it crashed and burned the last 10 meters. Oh man, we were digging and fighting and then boom, down I go, bloody. But that's like the spirit of competition, kind of at its finest. Like, what are the change? I mean, I never sprinted like that at the end of a 5K in high school or a 10K in college. And so to go like monomy mono battling with that gentleman after 30 plus miles. Like, we were dead sprints. Like, that was all the speed I had after. It was insane. So fun. So fun to compete. Okay, next race. Another 50K, this time at Copper Mountain, a ski resort here in Colorado. This is the race where the first and second place runners took a wrong turn and actually ended up cutting the course. And not intentionally, but I ended up winning. So this was the victory for the year. It was, and that was one of my goals, as you know, in 2018 was to win a race. So boom, this is a special big number because it was my first kind of victory in a long, long time. So, good race. Oh baby, oh man. At the 1000th vlog, you saw footage from the Run Rabbit Run 100-mile race. I attempted to, yes, race 100 miles this year. It got pretty raw and real. And you saw the tears a couple days ago. Like, I was definitely battling a lot of different situations in that race. The plantar fasciitis, a lack of intake of salt. And so I was, I don't think my body was absorbing enough water. It was in the mid-80s, so it was very hot. And it was rough, it was very rough. I'm keeping the bib number as a reminder as to how hard it actually was. And as a reminder to, yes, not race 800 miles in 2019. Okay, I'm going to set this guy down. We're going to come back to the, in the last race I want to reflect upon, a 5K race. I went from a 100 mile race to a 5K race. Just curious what I was capable of doing at shorter distances with higher speeds. 1548. Not too shabby. First 5K in 10 years, I had basically done no speed training leading up to this race. Like, truly. It was all mountain running and tempo runs. So that was it. Maybe I had done my one fart lick. But it was hill work and tempo runs and, yes, long runs. Alright? Absolutely amazing that we're already wrapping up 2018 and it feels like I was just rolling out the paper yesterday on my kitchen table planning out the 2018 racing schedule. But no, it's done. It's in the books. I can't go back now. We can only look to the future, right? And maybe kudos to all of you out there that are already registered for your 2019 races. That's amazing. I'm not registered yet. Probably tonight. And over the next couple days, I will be registering. I'll be making the commitment to my racing and, yes, training schedule for the next year. It's exciting. So, first tip for planning out your racing schedule. And you probably, many of you probably already do this naturally. It's pretty basic, but it's a good reminder know your why. Know your why. Why are you racing this particular race? Maybe it's to challenge yourself to go from a 10k to a half marathon. Maybe it's to inspire yourself to lose a little weight. I like to get a little more fit, a little more lean. Maybe it's to raise money for a charity. Maybe it's to complete your first marathon. Right here. Right here. That's me. Maybe it's to see a new place of the world that has a beautiful marathon distance race or an ultra race and you're going to travel, you know, around the world to this location to experience a new culture. So, tip number one know your why. And it's just, it's really important to have a really solid why behind yes, almost all of your races. Now, I realize sometimes you'll just jump in a race, you know, a 5k, maybe a 10k, because a friend invites you last minute and you're like, oh, okay, I'll jump in. Like that's fine too. But for some of the bigger races, and we're going to talk about this in a second, but for some of your bigger races, having a why is so important. Point number two for planning out your racing schedule. Know your strengths. All right. Know your strengths. I attempted to run 100 miles this year. Didn't go so well. Didn't go so well. Then, six weeks later, I jump in a 5k and I ran 1548. One minute basically one minute off my full time PR with no speed training. What does that tell me? The 100 mile distance is not my strength as a 33 year old. Guess what? I plan to do another 100 mile in my life, but honestly, I'm okay if it's when I'm 43. I'm, I absolutely, like I will most likely wait till my forties to attempt to run another 100 miles. I don't have the strength right now. Probably don't have the aerobic development right now. It's just not my strength when I can still run a sub 16 minute 5k. So what does this tell me? Knowing my strengths? The marathon. I like 100 miles too long 5k, you know too short. I'm going to go down the middle of the road and explore the marathon distance in 2019. So that's tip number two. Know your strengths. What are you good at? So many of you commented about your strengths through the racing that you do, and it's just inspiring. So that's point number two. Know your strengths. All right. Point number three and four, they actually go to, they dovetail together. They feed off of each other. Okay. Point number three, peak races. Point number four, training blocks. All right. What do I mean by peak races? It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You cannot peak for a race every month. That's not how the aerobic development happens as a runner. You have to have, this is point four, training blocks that are extended way beyond four weeks. And it's, I kind of laugh a little bit when I see like people advertising training schedules or training blocks for a marathon in like six weeks. And I'm like, ah that's like not really a training block like in my mind, this is how I approach training blocks three to four months. Three to four months. Like you really need that time to develop your aerobic system. If you are out there to PR to really race a race and to do your best, like you cannot just snap your finger in six weeks and say, okay, I'm going to be at my peak fitness for a particular race, which impacts the races that you choose for an entire calendar year. Now, I've mentioned in the past that I believe you can have three definitely no more than four I like to lean toward two or three peak races in an entire calendar year. That's not very many and listen, I raced 12 times in 2018, but and that was probably a little too much just so you know, in 2019, I'm going to rein it in a little bit and I'm going to really focus on two races. I'm going to mention them here in a minute. So anyway, that's my thought process, how I plan out my racing schedule. Two, three, definitely no more than four peak races in an entire year. And these are races where you're like, you are amped up. You are mentally on your A game. You are, you might travel across the country for this race. Maybe it's a marathon. Maybe it's a half marathon. Maybe who knows? Maybe it's beyond a marathon. And maybe you're a shorter distance racer. That's fine too. And you know, maybe it's like the Fifth Avenue Mile. I don't know. So and then, of course, and we're going to talk about this in another vlog, like how to develop a training block that makes sense for different distances. Anyway, I digress three and four number three peak races number four training blocks. Those two feet off of each other. And last but not least, perhaps the most important point or tip that you should remember the fifth one. Guys, this is, I failed. I failed last year when I was developing my racing schedule. I did not do enough research research. The Speed Goat 50 K out in Utah put on by Carl Metzler. He's the race director. Carl is his nickname is Speed Goat. Actually the Hoka Speed Goat is named after him. Just so you know, he's crazy. He's one more hundred mile races than anyone in history. He set the Appalachian Trail speed record like three years ago. It's already been broken, but he's a beast and he's not afraid to make people hurt and to bring pain into people's lives. I did not do enough research into this race. It kicked my behind. 12,000 feet of vertical gain and somebody actually commented yesterday like they can't wait to see me race against Sage Canada and I hope I'm saying his last name right. Sage is a beast. He's a great runner and I actually did race him at this race. He was in first place basically the whole way. He ended up in second. I was in fifth place up until actually I was in third place at mile 20. I was in third place and then oh did I fade? Hard. So hard. So I have raced Sage and it was fun. He's a beast. But I'll race him again someday. Bottom line I did not do enough research on this race. Guys, I don't think I'll ever go back. Like as far as beating up your body, this will beat your body up. I I'm not going back. I'm not do not let me go back YouTube. Do not let me go back. So that is my fifth point. Research take a little more time and that's what I'm actually doing tonight and a little bit more tomorrow in the next day. Alright and onward to the 2019 racing goals and schedule. I have it written down here. I'm just glancing at my phone here ladies and gentlemen. I need your help. I'm looking for a half marathon at sea level on a flat course in late March, early April. Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level so all of the times are slower up here at elevation. I'm looking to go fast and I'd like it to be now this is not going to be a peak race but I do it will be the end of my first training block and basically a gauge for my first peak race in June at the grand mas marathon. Now I'm hoping I'm not registered yet for grand mas I'm waiting to hear back from the race director to see if I can get into the elite field because I want to race fast I want to go fast like this is going to be this is going to be the big time for me as a 33 year old and as many of you know marathon runners usually peak between 30 and 34 years of age like that's the sweet spot for a marathon so that's going to be my first peak race of the year is the grand mas marathon in June and then I'm not listing all of the races my second peak race of the year will be the pikes peak ascent where yes I took third place two years ago behind yes Joe Gray took first and then I believe the gentleman from Japan took second I was third that race ladies and gentlemen is going to be a doozy is good in fact if you were if you like I would love to meet many of you at that race if you're local like anyway it's the pikes peak ascent I believe it's August 24th or fifth this year so that'll be my second peak race and potentially my last peak race of the year depending on how grand mas goes in June I may run one more fall marathon next like next fall 2019 we'll just see how grand mas goes in June alright so that is my preliminary racing schedule I'm still researching discerning knowing my strengths knowing my why and trying to remember everything that happened in 2018 to make sure that I don't make the same mistakes was run rabbit run a mistake in the big picture of life no as far as playing to my strengths I would say yes I'm not afraid to call it a slightly a slight mistake but it's a good learning lesson right life is about all about learning lessons and so and yes of course the key word of the day is races in the question of the day is two parts but it's critical because it could impact the next 365 days of running for you part one what is one or two maybe three peak races that you already have chosen for 2019 and if you haven't chosen yours yet like I haven't registered yet but I have an idea of what I want to do but what are your peak races for 2019 and part two what is one tip or point that you want to share with everybody for developing a great and effective and a smart racing schedule for the new year alright like what point like I had five points I hope they they helped you a little bit but I know I know for a fact you guys have a lot of good ideas for developing a sound racing schedule sound good sound good thank you for commenting thanks for hitting that keyword and I love you thanks for being here we're just on Christmas break I am going to the gym tomorrow it's exciting to begin to develop develop that foundation for yes the racing the peak races in June and August it's it begins now basically it begins now so seek beauty work hard tomorrow