9 Hour Endurance Challenge

 Last year I participated in a 9-hour endurance challenge. It's called the Bealuh 963. You've probably never heard of it. It takes place in St. Louis County on a tiny section of a massive trail that runs through the foothills of Missouri. The section is a 4.3-mile loop.

The basis of this 9-hour challenge is to see how many loops you can accomplish in that 9 hours. 

What makes things even more interesting? It takes place in February. The temperatures can get below freezing, and the trails will likely be covered in ice. The event starts at 3pm and goes on until Midnight. The sun sets around 5:30, so most of the race is run with a headlamp.

Last year I accomplished 7 laps totaling around 30 miles. That is the most miles I've run at once. It was spiritual.

This year I set a goal of completing 9 laps (38.7 miles). 

I feel like I am at a good place with my diet. From a training perspective, I haven't been logging as many miles as I'd like, but here is the kicker, I hadn't run on a trail since last year when I last did this challenge. 

The good news? I am in better shape than last year when I did this challenge. 

Stay tuned for more updates.

JD