Crazy? Maybe. Dedicated? Most certainly. My family and friends know me well enough to know that I have learned how to achieve a goal. They watched me dream of Ironman, watched me as I trained my mind and body to qualify, worried about me during the two years of training for Ironman once I had qualified, and waited for me at the finish line. That race changed me forever. The experience completely and thoroughly altered the very fabric of who I am. Five years have passed since that day, and I have continued to long for another vision quest of that magnitude or greater. I've held the dream of Fifty at Sixty for some time now. Now, at 56, I've committed to the journey. Not unlike my Ironman journey, there are obstacles to overcome. Most notably, I needed surgery on both feet to even begin running again. In typical runner fashion, I put that surgery off for 3 years, until my body gave me no alternative. Fix or quit. I called my trusted orthopaedic surgeon, who in 2009 fixed my shattered radial head so fantastically. Surgery was on April 11, 2011. The stitches will be removed on Monday. Training begins on Tuesday. I have no idea where it will lead me, but there is no doubt in my mind the journey will be worthy.
And, like Ironman, I won't be able to complete the journey by myself. I am supported again by my family and friends, my running partners, and my employer. I am incredibly lucky to have partnered again with my Ironman coach, confidant and trainer....the incomparable Keith Krugh. Without Keith, I would still just have a dream. Keith will be working with me as I negotiate the unknown of my rehabilitation from the surgery and the rigors of training (and staying healthy) for an ultra distance run.
What follows here is my chronicle of the journey. Please join me as I reach for the stars again.
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