On Saturday I’ll be running a 3.1 mile loop over and over and over again — for 24 hours.   Unless I get tired and decide to take a long nap in my tent.  🙂

I am taking predictions on blog.2sparrows.org, on Facebook, and on DailyMile.  The person closest to the total miles I run will win something — probably a book in the $15-20 range… I’ll chat to the winner and decide which book I think most appropriate for them.  I’m thinking something along the lines of Tread Lightly, The Art of Slowing Down, Barefoot Running Step by Step, The Perfect Health Diet, or The Primal Blueprint.  But I’m flexible.  🙂

For some background, I’ve not run much the past 3 months…  After Uhwarrie 40, I’ve really taken it easy, as you can see here:

The chart above only shows running, not anything else I might have done such as biking (zero!), paddling (zero!), hiking (very little), lifting (some), crosffit/movnat (not much).   My only long runs since February are about a 20 mile run in April on the Boston Marathon course with Kelly (in 88F!), and I think I’ve had two 10 mile runs sprinkled in here and there.   I ran a 50 miler back in October.  I normally try to run 25 miles every two months, but I’ve not done that this time around.  All in all it’s been a pretty quiet spring for me!

I don’t know much about the course other than it is a 3.1 mile loop.  The race director says it is relatively flat — but he is from the mountains.  Anytime someone from the mountains says a course is not hilly — DO NOT believe them!  I’ve been burnt by that before.

My normal goals in any race are to #1 have fun, #2 finish, and typically there is some kind of time goal.   There is no #2, “finish,” in this race — your total mileage is your finish whether you run one mile or 100.  My thought in running a 24 hour race is that it is a chance to run farther than I’ve ever run, without actually entering a 100k or 100 mile race where I might not finish at all.  🙂  So if I had a distance goal, it would be to go more than 50.  At the same time, I’m willing to not do that if I’m not feeling it or anything starts to bug me.  In that case I’ll sit back and enjoy the bands and/or sleep in my tent.

On the injury front, in order to provide full disclosure, yesterday my left ball of foot had a bit of a shooting pain unexpectedly.  😦  This is the BOF I have felt something in ever since the Half Scar Plus back in June of 2010.  It has never been more than a 2 or 3 on a the scale of pain, where 10 is excruciating.   In other words, it has never been more than a little discomforting, and has often not been noticeable at all.   Yesterday there was a very sharp 7 very unexpectedly, though it did seem to dissipate and is now running about a 3 or 4.  I may break out the metatarsal t-form pads I used successfully last fall to get me through Uhwarrie and Boston.

Here are the rules for the contest:

Enter the total mileage you think I will run during the 24 hour run on blog.2sparrows.org, my FaceBook post, or on DailyMile by 9:59:59 a.m. Saturday June 2nd (just before the race starts).  One entry per person!  (And not one entry per person per service!)

I’ll take the closest post across all three services and get in touch with the winner.