“Ow, ow, ow, ow,” I mumbled as a I hobbled down the stairs to my bedroom after last week’s Bear Bait 50K.
My calves and right knee took a beating the last 4 laps of our 8 loop race around Bear Lake in Munson, Florida.
And to think that many more runners were racing the 50 mile and 100K distances (12 and 16 laps around Bear Lake, respectively).
Last January, Crazy Amy and I ran the Bear Bait 25K (a “mere” 4 loops around Beak Lake-ha ha!).
Doubling that distance sounded like a good idea when we registered for the Bear Bait 50K last February (before we had even run our first 50K, mind you!).
Bear Bait ultras sell out quickly and limit the entrants to 200 runners regardless of the distance you register for. So Crazy Amy and I knew we had to register quickly to save our spot.
Poor Amy’s knees were screaming with her to stop and my right knee was pleading with me too. But as determined as we both are (our husbands might call us stubborn--silly boys!), a little pain (we signed up for this, remember?) wasn’t gonna stop us.
Plus, this race had a VERY generous cutoff time for all runners (19 hours!) so we had the luxury of indulging in generous aid station stops after every four mile loop. With a real potty I might add!
Putting aside that the event sold out, we might have questioned our participation had we not taken the leap and registered for the event. The last few months have been super busy for both of us and we didn’t have the time to train like we did last year.
But having registered, we had no choice but to run, right?!
And so run we did.
Through the dark at the race start.
Through the mud and muck.
Through a pouring deluge on lap 6.
Through soaking wet clothes.
Through the pain and fatigue.
And WE DID IT.
We finished in 8 hours and 48 minutes with 7 hours and 12 minutes of actual run time. (Told you we took generous aid station stops!)
Of course it was a kick in the crotch to have the first place finisher of the 50 mile distance cross the finish line a meager 10 minutes after us finishing 32 miles!
You don’t have to know how everything is going to turn out nor what the experience of the race will actually feel like when you get started.
The point is starting in the first place.
So too with your Family Succession Planning.
You don’t need to know what it will look like before you decide to begin planning.
You just need to take the first step and “register” (i.e. schedule your initial consultation with your family succession planning advisor/estate planning attorney).
As bad as my knees hurt when I finally made it home later that evening (future note to self: don’t stop moving!), after a few Advil, a blessed glass of red wine, and a good night’s sleep, I was almost good as new the next morning.
I hope I can say the same thing after our Antelope Canyon 55K race in Arizona in March.
And, Crazy Amy just informed me that we are registered for the Bear Bait 50 Miler next year in honor of us turning 50 this December. She’s killing me!
Kristen “This Seemed Like a Good Idea 11 Months Ago” Marks
P.S. Click below if you’re a Florida resident ready to take the first step in your family succession planning and schedule your initial strategy session with us.
