Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Racey Stacey

Expect nothing. Appreciate Everything.

Four simple words that sum up who I want to be and how I want to live. Some days it comes easily. At other times, it's a struggle. More often than not, it's a struggle, especially in terms of managing expectations.

It doesn't take much for me to tap into the deep sense of appreciation I have for the life I have and the people in it. It's an awareness that's innate and rarely shaken. Removing expectations, though, is a challenge that I'm still working through.

I figure that applying the "expect nothing" philosophy to my races this year would be a good place to start. Considering that I'm coming off a year of injuries and age has started to rob me of some of my fast twitch muscle fibres (not that I had many to begin with!), it seems like a pretty reasonable approach.

As the last couple of months of training have gone quite well and my hamstring issues are much improved, I've taken the bold step of registering for six races covering approximately 600km (370mi) of trail. Plus, pacing/crewing duties at two other ultras. It's going to be an incredible year!

2016 Race Plans:
The North Face Dirty Feet 50km
Sun Mountain 100km
Bryce Canyon 100-mile
Sinister 7 (support)
White River 50-mile 
Fat Dog (support)
Ultra Tour Monte Rosa 116km
The North Face Endurance Championships 50-mile

Have you hugged a tree today? It's good for you!
Science says so.