There are always experts...

I finished my race calendar for the year. And except for Salton Sea which isn't confirmed, it looks like this:

Jan 5th - Bandera 100K
Feb 16th - Jackpot (did 100K)
March 16th - Cape Fear (52M)
April 6th - Screaming Monkey 100M
April 28th - Salton Sea (82M)
May 12 - Death Valley Training
May 25th - WS100 Training Camp
June 29th - WS100 Pacing
July 15th - Badwater135
Aug 3 - Badger 100 Pacing
Aug 17th - Mtn Training in Colorado
Sept 13th - RunRabbitRun 100M

One of the things that you'll learning in UltraRunning which is no different than in other parts of life, is that there are always experts. They're right there to tell you what you're doing wrong, what you should do instead, what works for them, what someone said in an article they JUST read yesterday. You know those types.

As evidence above, I like to run a lot of races (some that are "training runs") leading up to a big race. The stress on the body is intentional, but some would say "that's way too much" and "unnecessary" (re: the "experts"). What I've found is that I can run and train really hard as long as I listen to my body and respond accordingly. I take what it's willing to give. There's a huge mental component to long distance running, and the comfort and benefit of knowing that I'm going into a race more than prepared outweighs the risks.

When you're constructing your race schedule, put together something that works for you something you can handle. If you have a huge race like Badwater, put together races leading up that will best prepare you for that eniron. And.. give yourself some flexibility in your schedule that you can back off or drop something if you need to.

Listen to your body. Listen to yourself. Be your own expert.