Next Up?

I've recovered nicely from Wasatch. Spent the past 4 days down in Southern Utah. First just relaxing for a couple days and then doing a 2 day backpacking trip in Escalante National Monument the past 2 days. Feeling good and recovered and ready to check out how running feels again. I'll get out for a short one today and then plan to get together sometime tomorrow with Karl for a run in the mountains. I'll try to put in one long run either Sunday or Monday (3 or 4 hours) and then start to rest up again for The Bear 100 which I'm running one week from tomorrow.

I've had the Bear in the back of my mind all summer but decided that I would not make a decision on it until a few days after Wasatch. I figured my body could be ready for it but I wasn't sure where my mind would be. I feel now though like my mind is ready to run another 100 miler. In fact I think my mind may benefit a lot from running another 100 miler right now. Almost like I "need" another really long run before my mind will be ready to head back to my life in Alaska. This said, I don't think my mind is ready to race another one, but rather to run one pretty relaxed and mellow. I think this will be really good for me right now. My competitive interest may change 30 or 40 miles into the race, but for now I'm definitely approaching the Bear as a "fun run" and as a test to see just how my body can respond to such effort just two weeks after something like Wasatch.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with myself for the next week. Can't decide whether to chill here in Salt Lake, head up to the mountains, or back down to the desert. I guess I'll probably end up going with a combination of the three.