Can Do, Can Lake!

And the 50 mile ultra training has begun.

Doesn't this look awesome?! It's the Can Lake 50, a 50 mile race around Lake Candandaigua, one of the finger lakes in western New York....and supposedly the prettiest of all the finger lakes. Here's how the  race director describes the Can Lake 50:

Nicely stocked aid stations, peak fall foliage, and age-graded medals are just a few things that make this an ideal ultramarathon. The race venue is a pretty holiday location over Columbus Day weekend. The scenery of this rural road race is sure to be enjoyed by runner and crew. Be aware, this is a challenge.  Everything from rolling to steep long hills, both up and down, will test the runners. However, if you prepare, you will be successful as these races have a high finish rate.

The course goes around the entire lake, with a total ascent/descent of 3,500 feet. Sounds doable, right? This was a tough decision. After ruling out the JFK and various single track mountain-runs-from-hell, I had narrowed it down to Can Lake and Tussey.

Tussey, with its dirt roads and shady course had loads of running "ambience;" however, I'd have to shave at least 20 minutes off last year's pace to make the cutoffs, so......yeah, not so doable.

Can Lake doesn't have as many hills, but it'll be a lot of pounding the pavement. What swayed me is the description of Can Lake as "beginner friendly." Even though I'm not exactly a beginner, it usually translates to "BOP friendly." And they let slow folk start an hour early...so I'll have 13 hours to finish the race. So, Can lake it is!!