NEW year, NEW adventures.  Clean slate.

Not all goals are insta- attainable.  Didn’t sub-4 last year, several times close but didn’t happen.  Still, believer in the process.  Yesterday’s post: ‘Alaska-Hawaii-Africa-Brazil‘ NEVER would’ve happened 10 years ago.  Something ‘bout calling out the action – voice to the universe, ‘out loud’ – breaks the goal down, compartmentalizes specifics, makes impossibles possible.  Enough folks out there will tell ya what you can’t do.

Back away – dude’s a DREAMER.

BIGGEST LIFE GOAL kicks in 10 days: ANTARCTICA.  Wanna freak out & imagine what you can’t do?  Read the pre-flight instructions.  Winter tenting, solo travel/foreign flights, ultra-distance racing.  Bottom of the frickin’ world.  Head: WTH  Heart: YES YES YES!

BIGHORN (June).  Third time lucky?  Sure hope so.  2^nd time marathoning all 50 States & the journey ends here – a 32-mile high-altitude trail where I’ve missed twice before.  Challenge met.  Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, BIGHORN (Wyoming).

FIFTY MILES.  Not once, but twice.  Pistol Ultra in March; Tunnel Hill next November.  Done running fake ultras (50k) – time to step up & run real distance.  100 mile attempt in 2020?  Maaaaaybe, 50 first.

2 weeks/14 separate, 10K training runs, 90 degree heat.  Cold weather runner meets HOT SUMMER HEAT.  Gotta start somewhere, equinox happens every year.  Makin’ peace with da heat.

4^th of July HIKE goal.  Aspen to Crested Butte.  3-day overnight.  Up, over, summit – and repeat.  Struggled to stay on trail 2 years ago, then hit a wall of unexpected snow in July.  Packing heavier, trekking faster, starting earlier.  Gonna/hafta/MUST DO HIKE.  Mark this as a WIN.

Canada Quest: Saskatchewan & Quebec.  On track to marathon all Provinces by 2020.

*2019 WILDCARD HOPE* Osaka Japan.  After Antarctica, only Asia left.

Registration April, lottery May, race Thanksgiving weekend.  Fingers crossed.  Thrice unlucky with run lotteries then unexpectedly, Marine Corps last October.  Bullet train Tokyo to Osaka?  It could happen 🙂

DREAM & dream HUGE.  Live a GREAT STORY.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” – Muhammed Ali

2018, another HUGE year.  My SEVENTH YEAR blogging – who would’ve thought.  Alaska, Hawaii, EVERY state along the East Coast (Maine to South Carolina).

End of year reflection, time to give thanks.

Biggest year of marathoning.  Topped 2015’s race tally.  Went Maniac Platinum a second time.  Ended 2018 only 5 states short of a second trip ‘round the USA.  Added two Canadian provinces (Newfoundland, my new Maple Leaf fave).  Marathon’d Brazil in April, South Africa July – CONTINENT total now FIVE.  Learned elephants DO snore.

Longest distance covered EVER – 34 miles at Bighorn.  Mud, altitude, 10 hour on-course DNF (timed out)…still my longest run to date.  Third time lucky, 2019 I’ll be back.

Surpassed 2000 miles again (2016/17/18).  Run thermometer still climbing (138 finishes) AND maintained ‘the Streak’, now 61 consecutive months marathoning.  Never envisioned feeding ‘the crazy’ 5 years on.  Life’d so many memories.

Driving-on-the-left mishap in Africa.  Kayak’d Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau Alaska.

Phoenix, Nashville & HAWAII – MEMORABLE laughs with Sis.  Hilo to Volcano (an all UPHILL ultra).  7+ hours without a porta-potty (nope, didn’t stop Sis).  Card games, luau fun, beach runs & an evening LAVA trek never to be repeated.  Spot literally BLEW UP 4 months later.  No joke, yikes!  🌋

3 Christmases, 2 New Year’s, ended 2018 in K* fashion – celebrated ‘cross 4 states, 3 time zones.

Never set limits.  Absolutely ANYTHING is possible 😎

#yearinSport