Enough and Then Some: Training for FatDog 120

I started this journey at the end of August. Race season was done and I had accomplished what I wanted for the year from a running standpoint. As I type this and reflect on the accomplishment of finishing the Tahoe 200 I feel an immense sense of pride. Yet there is still a longing for “What next?” That may be a whole separate article on “enoughness.”

I am incredibly pleased with the progress and gains I have made with my strength training. I am down almost 15 pounds from what I would have once told you was my goal weight. This has never been about a number on the scale though. I feel stronger than I ever have and my energy levels are high, my body fat is undoubtedly down and I continue to make progess in my lifting.

FatDog 120

My A-race is set and it is time to transition back to a focus on running. I am now less than 20 weeks away from the FatDog 120 and I will need to make sure that I shift gears to ensure I am well prepared.

The Fat Dog 120 is a notoriously grueling trail ultramarathon in British Columbia, gaining its reputation through a massive cumulative elevation gain of roughly 8,682 meters (28,484 feet). Spanning 120 miles through the scenic Cascade Mountains, it is widely considered one of the most difficult mountain races in the world due to its technical terrain and relentless climbs.

I cannot wait to see how the progress I have made with my strength work and the weight loss translates to the trail this year. I will be close to 15 pounds lighter than when I started training for Tahoe last year and I felt good at Tahoe!

Data Driven Miles

I am implementing some new tech tools this segment as well which should provide some more interesting data on this journey. I have started using Claude Cowork to assist with training prep and helping to document this journey.

I have Claude setup to pull my daily training and nutrition data and fire up an HTML dashboard, send it up to Github which will then autodeploy to a webpage. You can see the first draft of that website here, though I will likely change it up a bit.

If you are a tech nerd like me and want to see more of how I set things up let me know and I will do a video walk through and show you how.

Consistency is Key

I am now on a 220 day streak of consistently logging my food and there is really only one week in the last 6 months that my strength training was off. That was the week I spent in Toronto at a speaker incubator. You can see it reflected in the dashboard above. I continue to be committed to fueling, training and recovering as best I can. Consistent care now is all about thinking about what my 88 year old self would say to my now self. I want to ensure that we remain friends.

I Guess This Answers the Question

Earlier in this piece I asked the question “What next?” FatDog 120 is the definitive answer, however I do not want to lose the thread of the enoughness conversation. In our Connect’d Men’s group meeting this week for our closing round one of the guys stated that his intention this week was to “be enoug” just the way he was.

I don’t know exactly why but that statement gave me goosebumps and hit me right in the feels. Finding the balance between striving and enough can be a tricky one. While I hope that my exploits inspire you, I also hope that you know that you are enough just as you are and I love you for that.