Out and backs....and continuous loop races, my favorites...

             Yesterday, I ran 4 times around a four mile lake with a friend and it was emotionally very tough. What made it so tough was the anticipation of the rougher areas and some areas of steep hills and this got me thinking how much I miss my out and back long runs. I have also done a point-to-point race, like the Marine Corps Marathon, where no two places are the same (except for a few areas of intersection) and those too are tougher. But something about the out and back that makes it a lot less emotionally taxing. The only time I do not mind a continuous loop is when it's flat and when it's part of a race because after a while you don't know who is faster than who, and who is on what lap. The continuous loop race is a great equalizer... we are blind to who is fastest and with that piece of information missing we are suddenly all the same. 


              I am debating doing another attempt at the100K at the Pistol Ultra in Tennessee in 2021. The race is so well organized and I absolutely love the race directors there and the same people come every year to run it.... the environment is just the best.... part of the reason I am debating is because I have another larger goal in mind, working on my 50 states marathon membership and I already have the state of Tennessee under my belt, plus all the expenses to get there, get a hotel, and run it add up to quite a lot while not advancing my larger goal. But I have time to decide, it's not even 2020 yet.