A Season of Change

It’s fall here in Salt Lake, my favorite time of the year (as I write it’s actually snowing). I love seeing the array of colors, each signifying a step in nature’s impending hibernation. The spectacle is something I look forward to each year, not only because it signifies the close of the current year, but because it brings me closer to the next. The beauty is serene, the air crisp and cool, and the atmosphere, tranquil.

I think I enjoy the season so much because of what it signifies: Change. Change has been the theme of my life over the course of the last year. Really though, it’s a natural tendency of thought with all the changes surrounding me – thoughts that I no longer shy away from – but embrace with open arms. I’ve gone from a lowly, depressed individual with lack of focus or motivation, to a being full of life, feeling as though I have something to offer the world. From that guy on the couch, to that guy who’s always out there running. Change has made a significant impact on my life!

I’m not gonna lie, the first two weeks following the marathon were quite unfocused for me. I felt the self-satisfaction of completing a goal, but didn’t have a new focus. I was tending toward my old ways. I noticed I was sleeping a little longer, wasting a little more time, and finding myself being bored more often. It wasn’t fulfilling. So what’s the cure? Run. Get back out there with a purpose and just run. So that’s what I’ve been doing. The thing I loved about training for the marathon was the feeling of working towards something, and getting in shape in the process. I had a purpose and a goal to work towards. But for me, a marathon didn’t really push me. It was definitely a stretch to find the time and the will. I trained diligently, but never at any point did I feel like I was giving everything I had in me. There were a select few times when I noticed some self-doubt creeping in. Not once though, did I get to a point when I felt like my body would not respond or my mind would not overcome the obstacle.

I know I’m probably just asking for it with these types of admissions, but I’d like to really test myself. With a marathon under my belt, I can now focus on something to test me further. So rather than bore myself with running a faster marathon (which I’m sure I’ll go after at some point), I’ve decided to venture into the world of the ultramarathon. It’s something I’ve become obsessed with - reading about the adventures of others almost daily - but something with which I have zero experience. It will afford me the opportunity to be out there in nature more often – where I truly love being – rather than pounding out all the miles on pavement. Since I first heard about it many years ago, it’s something that’s always intrigued me, but wasn’t something I ever thought I could do.

So, with 5 months to train and what appears to be a long winter in front of me (I hate the cold!), a 50 miler sounds like a good test for this boy. Hey, what better way to kick off the first year in my thirties!