Tell us your non endurance plans outside of racing / sanctioned events

monkeyboy64 - 2010-08-13 1:47 PM Okay, these are sounding very much like ENDURANCE plans.

furiousferret - 2010-08-13 9:26 AM I'm sure I'm not the only one that has plans for an individual endurance events (i.e. non sanctioned / race) goal on this board, and I'm curious what others have planned. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the last 2-3 years, I've had a goal to run from my house, through the San Bernardino Mountains, to Big Bear.  This is roughly 26 miles, going from an elevation of 2,000 cresting a peak at 8,000 and ending at Big Bear (7,000 ft). 

To be honest, I'm not even sure its possible.  Its all dirt trails, I don't have any idea how they're maintained, but they are on a map as fire roads.  The smart thing would be to preview it on an MTB but then I'd lose alot of the allure.  Add to the fact you are about as far away to civilization as one can be in the Los Angeles region, and you need to replenish food and water every few miles.  Being in the middle of nowhere I'd actually have to have a group go ahead, and drop off food and water.  I'd also probably have a running partner.  There are an abundance Mountain Lions and Bears in the area and running in an area less traveled makes it more dangerous.

As to why do this?  Because its there, and I really like to travel / hike / run in the backwoods, leaving my 7 million neighbors, and go to a place where there's solititude.  Its hard to find around here.  When I was younger I did this alot, just pointed to a remote area and ran.  Now I'm far more paranoid of mountain lions, bears, and people with banjos.

I'm also planning on dragging the wife up Mt Whitney but that's going to be harder because I'll have to push her along the way to get there (she wants to do it but doesn't want to put in the work). 

I'm hoping maybe in 2012 I can do the run, as I'd have to give it all the respect and training of an A race. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any others?

nc452010 - 2010-08-13 11:52 AM

I just read LA's book 'It's not about the bike'.  Just found out, after his surgery, he was having a tough time getting back on the bike.  He decided he'd go somewhere he loved, to see if he still wanted to ride.

That spot's about 1.5hrs from here.  I wanna go ride it and see what it's all about.

tri808 - 2010-08-13 3:10 PM

That sounds like an awesome goal...but the bolded statements remind me of a common theme when watching the show "I shouldn't be alive".

faded_memories - 2010-08-13 11:51 AM

Or more specifically, non NON ENDURANCE PLANS.... 

DMarkSwan - 2010-08-13 11:43 AM That sounds like an awesome goal! I suppose you could pack a back pack as light as possible. How do you plan on getting back?

I ask because my goal is to bike to the beach, but then I have to get home. It was a lot easier when I was in college and decided we could bike the 5 miles to the beach. It was hopefully more than that, because it took us an hour. Now it's a 145 mile trip and if I go to the beach I want to spend some time there. I'll probably just have the family go down in the car and ride back with them after a day or two at the beach. Still, if I was a real man, I'd carry a tent and bike both ways. This trip is still at least a year are for me no matter how I plan to get back.

DMarkSwan - 2010-08-13 1:43 PM That sounds like an awesome goal! I suppose you could pack a back pack as light as possible. How do you plan on getting back?

I ask because my goal is to bike to the beach, but then I have to get home. It was a lot easier when I was in college and decided we could bike the 5 miles to the beach. It was hopefully more than that, because it took us an hour. Now it's a 145 mile trip and if I go to the beach I want to spend some time there. I'll probably just have the family go down in the car and ride back with them after a day or two at the beach. Still, if I was a real man, I'd carry a tent and bike both ways. This trip is still at least a year are for me no matter how I plan to get back.

nc452010 - 2010-08-13 1:52 PM

I just read LA's book 'It's not about the bike'.  Just found out, after his surgery, he was having a tough time getting back on the bike.  He decided he'd go somewhere he loved, to see if he still wanted to ride.

That spot's about 1.5hrs from here.  I wanna go ride it and see what it's all about.

tri808 - 2010-08-13 12:10 PM

That sounds like an awesome goal...but the bolded statements remind me of a common theme when watching the show "I shouldn't be alive".

cafenervosa - 2010-08-13 1:08 PM I'm hoping to kayak the whole 190mi. Calusa Blueway http://www.calusablueway.com/and stopping each night to camp at the various put in spots. I'm thinking perhaps taking 2 weeks off next winter and going for it.

ejshowers - 2010-08-13 2:09 PM I have a life goal of visiting each state highpoint which range from drive-up to Denali.  We'll see.....

furiousferret - 2010-08-13 12:26 PM I'm sure I'm not the only one that has plans for an individual endurance events (i.e. non sanctioned / race) goal on this board, and I'm curious what others have planned. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the last 2-3 years, I've had a goal to run from my house, through the San Bernardino Mountains, to Big Bear.  This is roughly 26 miles, going from an elevation of 2,000 cresting a peak at 8,000 and ending at Big Bear (7,000 ft). 

To be honest, I'm not even sure its possible.  Its all dirt trails, I don't have any idea how they're maintained, but they are on a map as fire roads.  The smart thing would be to preview it on an MTB but then I'd lose alot of the allure.  Add to the fact you are about as far away to civilization as one can be in the Los Angeles region, and you need to replenish food and water every few miles.  Being in the middle of nowhere I'd actually have to have a group go ahead, and drop off food and water.  I'd also probably have a running partner.  There are an abundance Mountain Lions and Bears in the area and running in an area less traveled makes it more dangerous.

As to why do this?  Because its there, and I really like to travel / hike / run in the backwoods, leaving my 7 million neighbors, and go to a place where there's solititude.  Its hard to find around here.  When I was younger I did this alot, just pointed to a remote area and ran.  Now I'm far more paranoid of mountain lions, bears, and people with banjos.

I'm also planning on dragging the wife up Mt Whitney but that's going to be harder because I'll have to push her along the way to get there (she wants to do it but doesn't want to put in the work). 

I'm hoping maybe in 2012 I can do the run, as I'd have to give it all the respect and training of an A race. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any others?

Paddy1 - 2010-08-13 4:31 PM Starting to get serious about swimming the English channel. Ill be 37 in Oct and I want to do it before Im 40. I have realistic intermediate swimming goals which will allow me to build up to it. I swim 9 or 10 miles a week anyway. In addition, Kilimanjaro has been in my mind since I was a kid but I'm not a huge climber. I'll have to learn!!!