GRATITUDE FOR THE "MILESTONES"

 Saturday, July 25 at 1 PM. (I know I won't have time to write this on Sunday so I'm taking the time now...just sitting here thinking of YOU!)

After 3 days of "SUMMITING" peaks and conquering "fears", I am sitting here at a trail head admiring the massive peaks above me. I have some time to admire the surroundings while the Boyz bag one last 14er (a 14er is a peak that is above 14,000 ft. and we bagged one earlier today but my knee just can’t do more and i promised myself to back off a bit today...right! 😉).

There is nothing quite like being in the mountains or in nature where it’s peaceful and majestic, you just can’t help but feel close to something much bigger than yourself. I don’t want to spend too much time talking about what I went through or how my knee feels or how far I ran, what I want to share are the things that seem to always teach me more about myself and why I love coaching, but especially why I love being a dad and a husband and a runner!  I knew on this adventure that the plan was to run some amazing trails in the amazing San Juan mountains, but because of my situation, I thought that I would probably not be able to do a whole lot, one because my body is not 100% but also because I didn’t want to make it worse of course. So I figured on that first day even though the initial loop we had discussed was going to be about 15 miles, I figured I would do about four or 5 miles up the canyon and then turn around and come back down to the truck and let the other “Boyz” keep going to do a little more while I waited. I guess this is where the lessons learned come in, because I would evaluate how I was doing along the way, and I seemed OK, and since a lot of the trail so far was pretty much uphill, its easier on my knee. Then you take into account the amazing views in the mountains in the valleys, it was just so breathtaking you pretty much just could not stop!

Once we got up there about 8 Miles to the top of some peaks (higher than Kings Peak in Utah which is 13,000ft...a 13er), I figured “might as well keep going, I’ve come this far and I’m doing OK so let’s go for it.”

No it wasn’t as easy as it may sound, in fact I was pretty beat up, my knee was in a little bit of pain, my quads were shot, my IT band was screaming at me, my right big toe wanted to pop out of my shoe, and this was just the first day...needless to say I was loving it! After having run 25 miles (yes, we just kept going and looping to see other awesome peaks and views), i was ready to be done!  But crazy enough, I love that feeling of knowing that i gave it, of feeling so sore, that I trusted my inner “Wild Man” and pushed my limits! I was with amazing friends, enjoying absolutely crazy and breathtaking views, but many times on my adventures, with my legs screaming at me, with my head mad that i couldn’t run like i want to, even with all these great things, a lot of the time I couldn't help but think about my wife and kids and you guys and how much you all would love being out here also. This is what running has done to me and for me...to love and appreciate so much more than just a fast time or PR or get a certain amount of miles...it's about "MILESTONES!"

So the point I am trying to make, is not about how many miles we actually go or what the destination may be (even though there are some amazing destinations), it’s about getting to the “top” of whatever challenge we are facing...to get to the “SUMmit” of the challenge you are facing and truly love, appreciate, and even be grateful, for the little things in life that matter...each other! 

I hope this next week can be about seeing where you have been, how far you have come, and where you are still going!  Be grateful for EVERYTHING! Because every chance to “Reach the Peak”, is worth it! Don't "regret" what you could have done...DO IT NOW! Take the Chance on yourself!