LOTOJA, Here I Come!

I received this in an email yesterday:

THANK YOU for registering for the 2006 LOTOJA Classic. Your online application was received on April 10 and approved on April 11, 2006. The category you are registered in is CITIZEN 27-34.

I'm in!

What this means is now I'm committed to doing it. I have already spent my non-refundable $130. I now have a little less than 5 months to prepare--though I've already been preparing with that ultimate goal in mind.

Saturday is the Willard Bay Century up north of Salt Lake City. It is supposed to rain, but I plan to be there. This particular century is free, which is a pleasant way of saying unsupported. I've been trying to work out how I'm going to carry enough water, but I'm hoping a) the ride isn't too far from civilization and b) they take credit-cards.

Fortunately, the LOTOJA is supported, and my good friend Brian Heckert has already volunteered to drive support for me on that. In fact LOTOJA is a full-on USCF-sanctioned race. As such, part of my $130 goes to a one-day license (citizen-class).

At one point, I thought I'd at least share the road with some big names, but have since learned they stagger the start. I won't be starting until about 1.25 hours after the pros start. Here's the unfairness of that: That's 1.25 less hours I have to complete the race before the cut-off time 8:15pm. That means my average speed will need to be a blistering (for me) 16.5mph for the whole day (including breaks--if I get them). All 206 miles of it.

I'll keep this spot updated with my training progress.