“Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed, slamming on the brakes.
“What?!,” my husband asked, slightly alarmed.
“I just had this awful vision of my trail running shoes sitting in my closet at home.”
Andrew and I were staying at a cabin in Coldwater Gardens the night before the Bear Bait ultra trail race in north Milton a few weeks ago.
I had meticulously packed my gear since I wouldn’t be coming from home and I was meeting my friend, Crazy Amy, at Bear Lake at 5:30am the next morning.
Several pairs of socks, multiple layers and changes of clothing depending on the weather, hydration pack, hat, headlamp, snacks, first aid kit, Advil, watch, phone, headphones were all packed in my car. I thought I was prepared. I had packed everything but the kitchen sink it seemed.
Except that I hadn’t.
The very one item that I absolutely could not run without was my shoes. Go figure.
All I had with me was a pair of flip flops and slip on casual loafers. Neither was a serious option for running on the trails, through the woods and muck. I suppose if push came to shove, I could have attempted to run in my socks.
Defeated and bummed, off we headed for the over hour ride back home. Sure enough, there were my shoes sitting proudly in my closet.
I decided to cut my losses and just spend the night at home, getting up at 3am for the race.
Bear Bait was going to be Crazy Amy’s and my first 50 mile ultra trail race to celebrate our 50th birthdays the month before.
As it turned out, December was crazy for both of us (including my couple of trips to Virginia for my mom’s surgery) and we did not have the time to train as much as we should have.
So, we made the executive decision to back down our distance to a “mere” 25K or 16 miles. Easy peasy.
Sometimes grand plans aren’t always the most practical in reality.
For example, some clients meet with us and want to maintain mega control over the disposition of their money and assets from the grave. Of course, that’s their prerogative. After all, it’s their money, but when the options are explored further, the mechanisms and costs associated with such control are not worth the headaches and extra expense.
So, too with our ultra trail race preparation. 50 miles sounded great in theory but the actual amount of training and commitment that is required to adequately prepare for such a distance without getting injured was more than we were willing to invest this time around.
And I was fine with the decision to drop down our distance. I didn’t consider it a defeat or giving up in any way. It was the right decision for us based on current circumstances. And let me tell you, I enjoyed the race a heck of a lot more finishing in three hours, fifteen minutes, rather than the projected twelve hours.
Crazy Amy and I are exploring our race options for this year. I can’t say I’m yet committed to training for another ultra race (any distance over a marathon distance) but who knows. Anything goes when Crazy Amy is involved!
Kristen “Not Afraid to Cut Her Losses” Marks
P.S. Give our office a buzz if you’re ready to explore your Legacy Estate Planning options or you may schedule your consultation here using our online booking calendar. 850-439-1191
