The road ahead

2011 has reached it's conclusion and what a year it has been.  Jeni and I became parents after nearly 20 years of marriage and we are moving forward with that challenge.  Our little daughter is a bundle of joy and it is amazing at how many friends have had their first all within a few months of this.  Loads of house chores have been either completed, identified for future projects, or outright ignored because sometimes it's better to leave trouble alone.

I traveled far and wide for both work and also for adventure and it got to a point to where I just didn't want to leave town any more.  I was able to complete my first ever xc-ski marathons in Steamboat Springs and also Crested Butte, with Crested Butte being a challenging, but ultimately fun endeavor skiing right through the alley ways in town.  Mountain bike season rolled around and I just needed a break from multi-lap races the years prior, so I set out to hit as many 100-milers as I could - and that got me into my first Bailey 100 and also High Cascades 100 with my first ever trip to Bend.  I went to Breckenridge for my 6th showing there, and made my 5th visit at Vapor Trail 125.  The Durango Dirty Century was another highlight as the crowds made it all the more fun even with the snow challenge.  Finally, I was able to race in the Sage Burner 25k, Lead King 25k, and ultimately Moab Trail Marathon for running events, completing my first ever running marathon in the process.

What I learned this year was that I do enjoy the race events, regardless of the format - be it skiing, running, or cycling.  Conversely, I did not enjoy the travel, and the 18-hour drive Bend (one-way) overshadowed what fun I should have retained from the adventure.

The plan is set for 2012, with all mountain bike races in Colorado, but the running ones extended to nearby Moab.  Jeni and I have an interesting year coming up both with the family and professional challenges as additional items to juggle.  Can't wait to get started!