Fingers Crossed

Usually if I am the first one awake in the house I would be eager to sneak off for an early morning run but the first day of the New Year holds a different kind of anticipation for me.  Because this morning I woke up before everyone else to hold myself accountable to start this all over again.

 

 

Potential runners have until January 8th to enter their name for the lottery so there was no need to get up this morning after a very late night.  I could still be snuggle warm in my bed but I needed to do this.  I needed to put my hand up first and say, Pick Me! Pick Me!

 

The journey begins again.  Fingers Crossed.

 



It is all falling into place

Another piece of the 100 mile puzzle fell into place yesterday when the DOW closed up at 12890.46.

My random number was 384.

That meant that I got in

The Bull Run Run 50 miler!

No wait list for me this year.

This puts me another step closer to being ready for the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100.

I am currently at 66 on that wait list. 

I'm not worrying about that now. 

Really, I'm not.

Am I trying to convince you or me?

I have 4 training races between today and the A race in May

First up is the Hashawha Hills Trail Run on February 25

Then the Seneca Greenway Trail 50k on March 3

The HAT Run on March 24

and then the Bull Run Run 50 miler on April 14

With MMT 100 nicely timed on May 12 - 13 which will coincide with my 2 year streaking anniversary.

Running any of these races too? 

What does your spring schedule look like?

Want to crew a 100 miler in May? 

Don't miss this post HERE. We can run together this fall.

A long engagement

Even though I haven't yet done a year end or a 2012 goal post, you wouldn't have to be reading very often

but of course you read every day, right?

to know that my A goal for 2012 is to go for the 100.

yeah, as in miles run at one time. 

on trails, in the mountains, through the day and through the night, without dying or falling off a cliff.

To achieve that I registered for the Massenutten Mountain Trails 100 Mile Run.

Like many true trail races, the MMT 100 has a limited field of runners.  To allow runners a some what equal opportunity to run a very popular race MMT 100 uses a great lottery system as part of their registration.  The next step of the system was on January 4th, the last day for "lottery winners" to submit payment and stay on the entrants list.  On that day I went from a potential 158th to 75th. 

That's right there are 74 people ahead of me on the wait list.

The race only allows 205 runners to be on the entrants list.

As mose of my readers are beyond the fourth grade and can do simple math, I'm sure you can see that I might have a long engagement with the wait list.

Fellow ultra friends who have run MTT 100 many times assure me that with the next two steps on April 16 the (last day to withdrawal with full refund) and May 1st (last day to withdrawal with partial refund) many entrants will drop out for a list of reasons. 

The race scheduled for May 12 - 13.

As exciting as the possiblity of doing a 100 mile ultra is, it would kinda be nice to know before the day of the race that I am going to get in.

What is the shortest notice you have ever had that you made it into a race?

What do you think of race lottery systems?  Level the play field or should it be first come first served?

for a complete explanation of MTT 100's lottery system click here

Let's Talk Lottery

I had the weekend to get over the fact that thanks to the stupid DOW being down on the 8th I did not get into the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100.  This weekend also provided me time and opportunity to lower the boom on the super secret spy and get his approval for my insanity, relief that his doesn't need to get me a Mother's day gift from the kids, support for crewing for potentially 36 hours of running fun!

So let's talk about the lottery system that Virginia Happy Trails Running Club uses to pick those lucky runner who get to know that they are IN for events.

VHTRC is one of two running clubs I belong to.  The other is the MCRRC. 

One day I will actually get to participate in more of the events and work days that these two great clubs put on.

This year all you needed to do to register successful for the MMT 100 was:

Qualifications for Entry: Entrants must be at least 18 years old at the time they apply for entry and have completed, within the official time limit for that event, either:

A 100 mile run at anytime before December 1, 2011

A 50 mile run after January 1, 2010 and before December 1, 2011

That would be an official race not a fat ass event and not an event that you "dropped" down in distance during the event. 

Easy.

Next year it gets a little harder. 

Qualification Change for 2013 Event: Starting with the 2013 MMT, a qualifying 100 mile run must have been completed within the 36 month period before entry opens. If an applicant does not have a qualifying 100 mile finish, he or she must have two ultra distance event finishes, at least one of which is 50 miles or longer, completed in the 24 months before entry opens. Runners with five or more prior MMT finishes need not have a qualifier. (This paragraph added November 2011)

You will need TWO ultra length events within the prior 36 month period.  Not that this new qualification would have been so hard given my current racing schedule BUT things change and if I waited until 2013 or after to attempt MMT 100, I might not have those 2 events completed. 

So 2012 is going to be the year.

Once you've registered by simply meeting those qualifications they check your race history and filling out their online form, you are given a random number.  Then you simply wait for the closing bell the day after the final day to register.  This year that date was December 8th.  They use the last three digits of the DOW at close to pick the "start" number for entries.  If the DOW was up for the day the number that got "in" go up.  If the DOW was down the numbers go down.  If only it had been up!

Lottery Results: On December 8, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down at 11,997.70. (We confirmed that with the DOW official site.) That makes 770 the beginning number. Lottery numbers 766 down through 269 are eligible to enter. (There is no one on 770.)  At registration I was #194

As you can see in the photo above my worst case scenario wait list ranking is 158.  I don't have seniority by having run this event before.  That would suck.  And would probably mean I would not get in on race day with a field of 205 runners.  However, as January 4th draws near the final day to pay if you got "in" or join the wait list runners will question their once strong bravado and not pay the registration fee and not join the wait list. 

This will move me quickly up the list. 

I am hopeful that I get in and get in early so I know that I need to get serious about my fitness and running.  Get serious and smart.  By smart, I mean the dreaded rest days.  Okay, minimum mile days and cross train days is more honest and accurate.  Because if I were to label myself which I don't I would most accurately be called an ultra running streak runner because running every day is important to me.  But that is another post entirely.

Given the 2013 requirement changes and the race date of May 12 - 13, I feel like THIS is the year to go for 100.  If you are new around here, May 12 - 13 would be Mother's Day weekend.  That will be my second Streak-iversary.  And while I don't love the results of the lottery for this race, I do think it is a great way to even the odds for applicants to get to participate in sought after events.

What do you think?

Have you every participated in an event that used a lottery system?

Did you think it offered a "fair" way to choose participants?

What do you think of lottery systems?

Three Things Thursday - Initials Edition

Massanutten

Mountain

Trails

I registered!!!!

Come back tomorrow to see is I got in!

In the meantime, could you start praying?...

oh, not that I make it in but that if I do my husband doesn't kill me.