Going to the Big Dance

OK.  So I've been the worst blogger in history over the past year or so.  Not a single post.   Well, yesterday I received word that I've been selected by the lottery to go to Western States 100 so I figure that's a significant event in my life where I might want to document some of it.   Western States, for those of you that may not know, is the "Boston" of 100's.  Meaning it is the first, the granddaddy, the one that everyone wants to run (for whatever reason) of it's type.  And like Boston, it has a tendency to pull the best of the best.   Not in the same way as Boston at all, where Boston goes to great lengths (some of which have pissed me off this past year, but that's another story) to try and skim the cream off the top and only bring in the best runners (but then fails miserably at this by allowing anyone willing to cough up enough money get in... OK.. sorry I'll get off that horse I swear).  Western lets anyone in who has met the modest qualifying requirements (which are more for safety sake  than to get better runners.  They don't want people dying out there on the course) enter the lottery and get in the race.

The Lottery
So the lottery gets much discussion.  I obviously have some good luck as I got in on only my second attempt.  A few years back, you were guaranteed to get in if you tried 3 times in a row.  Now there are just too many people trying to get in so there are no guarantees, however each year you try (in a row) they will increase your odds a bit.   Basically they put everyone's name in a hat that signs up, then those that didn't get in the previous year get their name put in again, and they continue this for all the previous years.  So if you have tried 10 years in a row and never gotten in, you would get your name in the hat 10 times.  (but boy, you must really be unlucky after 10 years!)   Anyway,   I got in with my name in twice.  They had over 3000 names in that hat (before doubling, tripling etc up) and only about 300 or so spots.  That means your odds are 1 in 1000 of getting picked for a first year,  1 in 500 for a second (me!)  1 in 250 for 3 etc.   (at least that's how I understand it.  I'm no statistician)

So... I got in!   Yeah for me!   I am really excited, but now I've got to get healthy and train.   So, thus starts my (I hope) new efforts to blog.   I'm going to try and keep these short and sweet and just talk about my training.  Hopefully I'll get on here at least once a week.  Maybe once a day.   Just not sure.  Anyway,  I'm hoping this may help me move along in my training.  We'll see.....

(oh... and one last note.  I do have a fair amount written about my OD100 run this past year.  May eventually get that out here too someday :) )