Summer Plans

This summer Laura and I have the opportunity to work remotely from Kingsford, MI where my parents live. Most of my job is preparation for software demonstrations that I give to power companies, which involves travel so it doesn't really matter where I live.  The possibility of spending six weeks with my parents is pretty awesome and will be the longest I have seen them since before I left for college 16 years ago.

Along with this extended family time, it also opened my eyes to something that has been on my (running) bucket list for a long time; running 100 miles from Kingsford to Green Bay, WI.  I was born in Green Bay and shortly thereafter moved with my family to Upper Michigan.  When I was little I remember driving to Green Bay and counting the telephone poles along the way.  I also wondered, long before I was a runner, if it would be possible to walk (or run) the entire way.  I would later in life move back to Green Bay for a few years, completing the circle, before our move to Huntsville, Alabama.

Well after considering this adventure for while recently, I decided that it really was impractical as much of it is now 4-lane divided highway with a 65 mph speed limit.  While there are alternate routes between the cities, it would add considerable distance and then it loses the original luster.  Plus the route is entirely paved road, which is not my favorite for ultra-distance running. 

While still looking for something significant to do this summer, I remember an old railroad bed that was turned into a rails-to-trails that we used to run on when I lived in Green Bay.  The Mountain-Bay Trail actually extends from Green Bay on the eastern end to Wausau, Wisconin on former Chicago and Northwestern right-of-way.  The 83 mile trail is named as such based on the two geological features it connects - Rib Mountain in Marathon County and Green Bay in Brown County.  My first job out of college in 1999 was working in Wausau, and together with Laura, we called Marathon County home for about a year.  So in reality, the Wausau to Green Bay route has as much, if not more, significance than the Kingsford to Green Bay route. 

From the website http://www.mountain-baytrail.org, the Mountain-Bay Trail was developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and parks departments of Marathon, Shawano and Brown County, and is currently maintained through the generous contributions and volunteer efforts of the Friends of the Mountain-Bay Trail of the three counties through which the trail passes: Marathon, Shawano and Brown.

I have done some checking and it sounds like there have been a few hikers that have covered the entire trail of several days but that no one has attempted to run the entire trail at one time, let alone in a single day which would be my primary goal.  The trail has a net elevation drop from west to east of 600'. So I am heavily considering this run while I am home this summer in an effort to set the fastest known time on the trail, as well has bring attention to other rails-to-trails efforts.

The dates are yet to be determined but I am leaning toward mid to late July. As with any FKT (Fastest Known Time) attempt, certain common sense guidelines will be observed, as noted by Buzz Burrell on Peter Bakwin's FKT website.

• Announce your intentions in advance. Like a true gentleman, pay your respects to those who came before you, and tell them what you intend to attempt and when.
• Be an open book. Invite anyone to come and watch or, better yet, participate. This makes your effort more fun and any result more believable.
• Record your event. Write down everything immediately upon completion. Memory doesn't count.

So for now I am just pondering the idea and the logistics.  Once I make up my mind to do it, I will declare my intent on the FKT website.  If I do decide to run the trail, it will be a solo effort.  I learned some valuable lessons during the Pinhoti Trail FKT with Rob Yougren (although a mulit-day effort) about trying to run long distance for time with another runner.  It is very tough to do something like this with another runner as it is inevitable that you feel good (or bad) at the same time and in the end you will ultimately separate.  I will quote fellow inov-8 team mate Jonathan Basham who was told this by Andrew Thompson, "You must be your own man."  I feel like I need to do this on my own.  I certainly will entertain the concept of pacers for the last few hours and will have a support crew along the way, but plan to attempt the FKT solo.