2018 was off to a fresh and wonderful start! I was just enjoying reveling in the advent of
the New Year with some dear friends, when everything changed with a text. We
had just returned from our annual trip with friends and their families to ring
in yet another year up at Blacks Fork Ranch near Bridger, WY when I got the
text. I wish I still had it. But because I don’t, I’ll paraphrase from memory
as best I possibly can:
"Just
so you know, the deadline for 'The Wasatch' is coming up in a few days. You ought to
sign up. This is the year to do it!”
This seemingly harmless, innocent, simple text from my good
friend Scott Wetzel changed everything about 2018. This text took me from the
relaxed times of celebrating the New Year back to suddenly considering the
pursuit of the most challenging physical goal of my whole life. I was being
emotionally whiplashed. He was
referring, of course, to signing up for the Wasatch 100 Endurance Run or just
the Wasatch 100. He had heard me talk about it before with the other times I
had participated in the race in some form of spectating:
-
2014: paced John Rich from Big Mountain to Lambs
-
2015: paced a total stranger from Lambs to
Brighton
-
2016: went to Brighton to cheer on a friend who
was running it
-
2017: ran from Mill D North to Desolation Lake
Aid Station to cheer on total strangers who were running it at midnight
The registration deadline was around January 4, 2018.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it would change me physically,
emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually. It would change my diet, my
financial priorities, my time management, and my sleep habits for 2018. It
would bring me great joy great frustration, great soreness and great health,
internal tension mixed with quiet peace, all at once.
I didn’t have much time to make this decision. I thought it
over and decided that I would just go ahead and sign up for the Wasatch 100 and
pay the way too much $220 (they should be paying us!). What was the big deal?
The race was months away and I could just worry about it all later. Signing up online
and putting my race entry payment on a credit card hold still didn’t guarantee
that I would have to actually run the race. It basically just entered my name
into the random lottery. So I just kicked the can of decision and investment down
the road.
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