I'm not running for money, a team, sponsorship, or any significant prize money other than the occasional gift card and such, but I do still have a lot of long term goals for both track and roads.
That said, is it worth it to try an ultra? I do enjoy a good challenge and trying out new things in running, I'm just worried about any potential consequences. I would like to run a track "season" in May and some of June, then probably a half marathon in the Fall leading up to a marathon (Hartford, Bay State, Cape Cod, Marine Corp, or Philly, haven't decided yet) in late Fall.
How much would running a 12 hour ultra in late July set me back? I figure I would have about 6 weeks to train for it and I should already be in pretty reasonable shape by then. I've run fairly high mileage in the past, and my longest runs have been 1 marathon race, a 22 mile run 2 weeks before, and about a dozen 20 milers. I would be hoping to run between 55 and 65 miles in the ultra.