What qualifies someone to call themselves an ultrarunner?, I mused during my run yesterday.
My mind tends to wander when I run on the road (which I find super boring—give me the trails any day!) and this is the kind of sh*t I tend to think about—inane, philosophical, if irrelevant, questions.
Am I an ultrarunner? [An “ultra” distance is commonly thought of as any distance longer than a 26.2 marathon distance.]
I’ve run a 50K so that should qualify me, right?
I mean, I didn’t think of myself as an ultrarunner when I was merely training for a 50K the first time.
Then I finished the Blackwater 50K.
But what if I decided to never run another ultra race again? Could I still call myself an “ultrarunner”?
Is a “one and done” ultra race enough to always be considered an ultra runner for all times?
Thirty years from now, if I never ran another ultra distance again, could I say that I AM an ultrarunner just because I completed the feat decades before?
I don’t think so. I think I could just say that I did it once but I am not an “ultrarunner.”
But, since I have completed an ultra race and am actively training for two more ultra races that I’ve registered for, I think that does qualify me to self-identify as an ultrarunner.
[You can ask yourself the same question if you’ve ever run a marathon. Just because you ran a marathon once, does that make you a “marathoner”?]
I think the same analysis can be said for estate planning.
Who is considered to have a Family Succession Plan?
Does it count that you signed a Will and some other documents twenty years ago?
Does “one and done” planning count?
Unfortunately, I can say from personal experience in the field, that it does not.
Family Succession Planning is an ongoing planning process to keep up with your changing life circumstances, financial situation, and family dynamics. The plan that worked for your loved ones ten years ago is likely sorely outdated now, especially with changing laws.
“One and done” planning doesn’t cut it in today’s economy and world.
So, just as calling oneself an ultrarunner requires that you have run an ultra distance at least once and that you are actively training for the next ultra race, someone can only accurately say that they have planned their affairs if (a) they already have a written Family Succession Plan in place, and (b) they review their estate plan and update it regularly.
My Pink Lawyer® can help you with your Florida Family Succession Planning to keep your estate plans current. We offer Family Succession Strategy Sessions whether you are starting fresh or merely need a review of your current plan. You can schedule a strategy session with us online here or by calling the office: 850-439-1191.
You can blame Crazy Jessica this time for my latest upcoming ultra race adventure. Crazy Jessica who ran the Blackwater 50K with us was thinking after that race that she would be a “one and done” ultrarunner. Then she surprised us last week with a link to register for the Antelope Canyon Ultra 55K race in Arizona in March. Crazy Jessica registered so of course Crazy Amy and I had to register too!
Oh, what fun having ultra crazy girlfriends are!
Crazy Jessica, Crazy Kristen & Crazy Amy at the 2018 Fiesta 10K
Kristen “Sporting Ultrarunner Street Cred” Marks
