Lost Hippy. If Found, Return to the 1960s

I've been in a low-level grumbly place for the past week or so. Why, I wondered? Was it post-race euphoria wearing off? Nope, I don't think so, as I didn't have a C2K post-race euphoria. Only post-race sluggish sleepiness!

Was it some kind of end-of-the-year blues? Again, I didn't think so, as I am the most un-Christmas, un-New Year's person on the planet. They are just another day for me. But I thought I'd go back to the last blog post of last year to see if I was in a similar mind set then....

First trail run post-C2K. Took the poles just in case....didn't need them :)

It was neat to see that I was planning to run TNF100, TransAlpine Run, and Coast to Kosci. Checked those off the list. I was also suggesting Sri Chinmoy 24hr in June...well, I did register for that one, but thankfully the RD gave me a refund, as I didn't think my "Bib foot" would cope with 24 hours. And mentally I wasn't in the right space. That can't bode well for a 24hr event! I got a last minute opportunity to register for the 100km Kep Ultra and grabbed it. Throw in a couple of rogaines (yum, rogaines) and a few 5k races, and there was the year.

Now it's time to shake the dice on 2013, shout out some numbers, and see how they land....

10 March - Coburg 6 hr. If I'm fit, I'm going to head over to Melbourne to have a crack at some PBs in the 50k and/or 6hr. I'm older, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but I'm also training and eating better and generally recovering smarter, I think. Me being me, my A goals will include age group records. And not getting injured - always a part of any of my goals.

11-12 May - World 24hr. If accepted to a national team, I'll head over to the Netherlands to run around in circles, eating my way through a tub of Perpetuem.

Then there's this big unknown comprising the second half of the year. I have a few ideas, but it really depends what continent I'm on! Usually a few months of the Aussie winter is spent in Canadian and European summer. It might be a bit early to do the hemisphere shift after Worlds, because I prefer to stay away until Perth has thoroughly warmed up (aka the end of September). That would mean May - September overseas. Not only would I need a money fairy, I think I might miss my running mates for that long!

So we'll all sit looking at this big mystery of June to December for now :-)

Last winter camping...2008. Minus 20.

But there's one more goal creeping pretty high onto the list...February 2014. Yukon Arctic Ultra. 300 Miles non-stop across the Canadian Arctic, pulling your gear in your own sled. It takes 6 to 8 days (there are a few short mandatory stops, but you choose how much extra to take). It has a 50% DNF rate. I read a couple race reports and loved this line, "My only strategy is not to die during the race." This was actually a race I was targeting before I got the scholarship to come to Oz and had to save my pennies (though at the time I was thinking of their 42km race option - times have changed!)

Back to the grumbles...could it be chemical imbalance caused by intense running followed by little running? Perhaps a bit. I am certainly edgy right now as I force myself into running only twice a week for a few weeks, letting the tendons get a good start on healing. I want to run!!! Argh. I know. This is good for me. I went to yoga today.

Would pulling a sled be easier or just different?

There's one last thing. It's my sport. My beautiful, bipedal sport. Moving through space and time on two feet.  Propelling myself around corners and to the tops of hills for the sheer curiosity of what's on the other side. To glimpse kangaroos and lizards on the trails. To catch the silhouette of a running mate ahead in the setting sun. To start an impromptu "race" up a hill, laughing and gasping at the top. To test myself against some perceived obstacle or to race towards some perceived reward, be it time, distance, or health. And to inspire others to find some of this joy for themselves.

There have been changes within the sport. I am getting this uneasy feeling, wondering where I fit in all this. It's the hippy. She's grumbling. And she's not sure she can wait 14 months in order to get 6 days to "go bush." Then again, I've been growing my hair out for 6 months and I'm still nowhere near being able to put it in plaits (braids). And we all know you can't really be a hippy without long hair ;)