I'm alive.
No, I haven't quit writing this blog. I've actually been thinking a lot about it.
Since my last entry I have completed 2 new posts but in each case I decided not to hit publish. It's not that I wasn't excited about the topics or that I didn't like how they had turned out. Both are written about things I am very passionate about and I put a lot of thought into drafting, reviewing, and revising posts that would do them justice. I'm not a "real" writer, but they are REAL.
The timing wasn't right.
After my 5 part Right Sizing post my writing started to deviate from the goal of sharing my own experiences on the path to simplicity. I saw my focus shifting to a few of the big frustrations I have with society.
Have I had time to write something different? Of course, there's always time. I have been focused this past month on preparing for 2 adventures that I've been looking forward to for a very long time. 2 adventures with very strong roots in the simplicity I hope to share here.
My first adventure begins tomorrow morning. I will drive for 4 hours with my parents and 2 of my brothers to the trailhead of the Uinta's Highline Trail. Dad and Mom will join us for the sendoff party. They will hike the first 10 miles or so camp over night then leave with the car keys in the morning. Over the next 8 days we will travel with the sun for 80 miles. We will pass by hundreds of beautiful lakes, climb the highest elevation in the state of Utah, and eventually make it to the getaway car near Mirror Lake.
I have never been on a backpacking trip longer than 3 days, 2 nights. I haven't had to worry too much yet about the weight of each item I am going to take, packing enough food but not too much, and being mentally prepared for this lengthy an expedition. I've never done anything like it really. I've learned a lot about myself just in preparing. I'm excited to see what the journey brings.
The second adventure will take place on Saturday, September 13th. I will be running the Mid Mountain Marathon in Park City. My first trail marathon.
Last year I ran the Herriman Oquirrh Mountain Trail Half Marathon. Looking back on it the course was horrible (a small single track section, mostly dirt and gravel roads, and a few miles of pavement at the end) but I loved it.
This run will be so much better.
I have been training on the trails close to home at Dutch Hollow and Wasatch Mountain State Park. My longer runs have been in Park City. I've run the entire race course in segments and covered a big portion of the rest of the mountain. I really struggled twice on 17 mile runs and felt defeated. I ditched some bad advice about nutrition and training and felt much better during and after my 20 mile run this past Saturday.
A few years ago I never would have imagined myself doing things like this. It's not that I wouldn't want to do these things. I didn't have the right motivation. I guess my motivation was there all the time I was just blind to it. It's amazing how stripping away life's excess allows you to see life for what it really is, see others as they are, and see yourself in new ways every day.
I'm always doing things I can't do, that's how I get to do them.
Pablo Picasso
